UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 
AT   LOS  ANGELES 


LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 


LIFE-WORK 

OF 

LOUIS    KLOPSCH 

ROMANCE  OF  A   MODERN 
KNIGHT  OF  MERCY 


BY 

CHARLES  M.  \PEPPER 


,« 


WITH  NUMEROUS  ILLUSTRATIONS 


Send  your  ships  with  corn  and  wheat, 
Bid  our  starving  thousands  eat. 

...  At  his  command 
Corn-bearing  ships  to  famine  lands  set  sail 
Our  country's  banners  flying  at  the  mast. 


THE    CHRISTIAN    HERALD 

NEW  YORK 


Copyright,  1910 
BY  THE  CHRISTIAN  HERALD 


A  FOREWORD 

I  FIRST  met  Louis  Klopsch  on  a  bright  day  in 
August,  1882.  I  was  just  out  of  college  and  had 
come  to  New  York  to  offer  my  services  to  one  of  the 
great  journals  on  Park  Row.  There  had  been  doubt 
in  my  mind  as  to  whether  I  should  give  my  assistance 
to  Mr.  Dana  of  the  Sun  or  Mr.  Hurlburt  of  the  World 
or  Mr.  Bennett  of  the  Herald  or  Mr.  Jones  of  the 
Times.  That  doubt  no  longer  existed,  for  none  of 
these  gentlemen  had  been  willing  to  consider  my  talents, 
or  even  to  let  me  hear  the  sound  of  their  voices. 

I  was  well  out  of  hope  and  courage  when  I  called 
at  92  White  Street,  agreeably  with  the  request  of  Louis 
Klopsch,  then  the  proprietor  of  a  trade  journal.  I 
showed  him  my  letters. 

"What  salary  do  you  expect?"  he  asked. 

"I  would  begin  at  ten  dollars  a  week,"  I  said. 

"  You  may  try  the  work,  and  if  your  services  are 
satisfactory,  I'll  start  you  at  fifteen  a  week,"  he 
answered. 

With  this  generous  act  he  came  into  my  life.  To 
my  mind  it  was  princely,  magnificent;  and  I  do  remem- 
ber well  that  it  was  good  business.  It  gave  me  the  key- 
note of  his  character.  Next  day  I  turned  in  my  first 
copy.  I  recall  how  it  amused  and  delighted  him. 
His  recognition  was  not  less  generous  than  his  pay. 

We  were  friends  from  that  day,  and  in  the  twenty- 


337147 


VI  A  FOREWORD 

seven  years  of  life  that  remained  to  him  I  was  to  see 
Louis  Klopsch  under  most  of  the  moods  and  circum- 
stances that  come  to  men.  I  never  saw  him  refuse  an 
appeal  for  help  or  turn  a  deaf  ear  to  the  voice  of  trouble. 
The  vilest  man  who  walked  the  streets  could  halt  his 
hurried  step  and  engage  his  thought  and  get  a  meal 
ticket  on  a  plea  of  hunger.  The  man  who  worked  for 
him  faithfully  was  his  brother.  The  troubles  of  that 
man  were  a  part  of  the  troubles  of  Louis  Klopsch.  His 
money  and  his  great  talents  went  beyond  all  reasonable 
generosity  in  his  behalf. 

"Find  out  how  much  you  owe  and  Til  see  what  I 
can  do  for  you,"  I  have  often  heard  him  say  to  such 
men,  as  a  prelude  to  a  plan  of  financing  their  debts. 

He  was  constantly  taking  upon  himself  the  burdens 
of  other  men  and  just  for  the  love  of  making  them  happy. 
He  lifted  mortgages,  paid  life  insurance  premiums, 
and  took  up  notes  by  way  of  meeting  the  emergencies 
of  those  he  knew. 

I  remember  a  time  in  my  own  business  life,  when 
reverses  had  come.  He  sent  a  substantial  check,  all 
unsolicited,  having  heard  that  I  was  in  need  of  help, 
and  he  said:  "  If  you're  ever  able  to  return  this  money, 
all  right.  If  not  —  all  right." 

But  he  was  in  no  sense  "easy,"  as  they  put  it  these 
days.  No  man  ever  had  keener  eyes  or  a  surer  judgment 
of  men.  There  may  be  those  who  cherish  a  secret 
notion  that  they  had  fooled  him  in  one  way  or  another; 
but  it  was  they  who  were  fooled  —  not  Louis  Klopsch. 
I  do  not  remember  to  have  come  in  contact  with  any 
mind  so  keen,  so  alert,  so  penetrating  in  the  affairs 
that  engaged  his  thought.  He  was  thoroughly  modern 


A  FOREWORD  Vll 

in  his  spirit.  He  was  profoundly  religious,  but  free 
of  bigotry.  His  religion  was  full  of  joy  —  so  full 
that  to  certain  old-fashioned  folk  it  suggested  effusive- 
ness. He  was,  indeed,  very  human,  but  he  was  also 
very  true  and  genuine.  He  fought  the  good  fight  with 
a  brave  and  merry  heart.  He  gave  and  forgave  and 
helped  and  loved  and  did  as  he  would  be  done  by.  He 
was  quite  as  prompt  in  the  debts  of  business  as  in  the 
debts  of  charity.  He  loved  little  children,  especially 
those  of  the  poor,  and  his  chief  recreation  was  drawn 
from  flie  happiness  that  he  gave  them.  That  overflow 
of  joy  and  gratitude  at  Mont-Lawn  and  the  Bowery 
Mission  were  the  food  of  his  spirit. 

I  have  said  that  he  was  modern.  There  was  a  wel- 
come and,  as  I  am  inclined  to  think,  a  new  note  in  his 
religion.  Mainly  he  preached  icith  bread;  he  prayed 
with  human  kindness;  he  blessed  with  wheat  and  corn. 
His  best  missionaries  were  loaded  ships;  his  happiness 
was  in  mitigated  pain.  His  week-day  was  as  holy 
as  his  Sabbath,  his  office  as  consecrated  as  his  church, 
his  note  of  hand  as  binding  as  his  creed,  his  business 
as  sacred  as  his  religion.  He  was  a  new  and  a  great 
preacher. 

1  IRVING  BACHELLER. 


CONTENTS 

ttm 

I.  EARLY  ACTIVITIES 

AMERICAN  OPPORTUNITY  EMBRACED  BY  YOUNG  KLOPSCH —  "GOOD  MOBN- 
ING"  TO  THE  BUSINESS  WORLD  —  BUT8  A  PRINTING  OFFICE  —  PIONEER 

IN  PICTORIAL  JOURNALISM APTITUDE  SHOWN SYNDICATING  REV. 

T.  DE  WITT  TALMAGE'S  SERMONS  —  TRIP  TO  EUROPE  AND  THE  HOLY 
LAND  —  PURCHASE  OF  "  THE  CHRISTIAN  HERALD  "  —  THE  CHOSEN 
INSTRUMENT  OF  A  NOBLE  AMBITION  —  FIRST  FIVE  YEARS  REVIEWED  1 

H.  RUSSIAN  RELIEF 

PEASANT  LIFE  IN  THE  CZAR*8  VAST  DOMAINS —  DEPENDENCE  ON  THE  CROPS 

—  GREAT  FAMINE  OF  1892  —  STORIES  OF  THE  SUFFERING  —  COUNT 
TOLSTOI'S  DESCRIPTION — AMERICA  HEARS  THE  HUNGER  CRY — "CHRIS- 
TIAN HERALD"  CONTRIBUTIONS  TO  THE  "CONEMAUGH"  CARGO  —  DR. 

KLOPSCH  DISPATCHES  THE  "LEO"  WITH  FLOUR DR.  TALMAGE  AND 

HE  AS  ADVANCE  AGENTS — THEIR  RECEPTION  IN  ST.  PETERSBURG  — 

WARM  WELCOME  TO  THE  RELIEF  SHIP GRATITUDE  OF  THE  RUSSIAN 

PEOPLE  —  AUDIENCE  WITH  THE  CZARE WITCH  AT  PETERHOF  PALACE    .       11 

HI.  ARMENIA  THE  MARTYR  NATION 

DESCRIPTION    OF   THIS    PART    OF    WESTERN    ASIA  —  AMBASSADOR    BRYCE's 

ACCOUNT  OF  MT.  ARARAT HISTORIC  CHURCH A  PERSECUTED  PEOPLE 

MASSACRES    OF    1894-95 DR.  HAMLIN's   APPEAL ATROCITIES  AT 

TREBIZOND MISS    KIMBALL's  STORY  OF  VAN "CHRISTIAN  HERALD " 

RELIEF  STATIONS MISS  SHATTUCK    AT    OORFA HEROIC    ZEITOUNLIS 

MISSIONARY    ACKNOWLEDGMENTS THRILLING     INCIDENTS CARE 

FOR  THE  ORPHANS  —  MURDER  AND  PILLAGE  AT  ADANA  IN  1909  —  DR. 
KLOPSCH  EXTENDS  AID  TO  THE  SURVIVORS 28 

IV.  INDIA  AND  HER  PEOPLE 

THE  HOME  OF  THREE  HUNDRED  MILLIONS  —  HINDUS  AND  MOHAMMEDANS 

—  CAUSES  OF  THE  GREAT  FAMINES  —  CROP    FAILURE  IN    1897  —  MIS- 
SIONARIES CALL  FOR  HELP BISHOP  THOBURN STEAMER  "EVERETT" 

DISPATCHED   BY    DR.    KLOPSCH "CHRISTIAN    HERALD"    REMITTANCES 

—  TALES  OF  SUFFERING  RELIEVED  —  PLAN  FOLLOWED  —  THANKS  MEMO- 
RIAL IN  THE  TAMIL  LANGUAGE  —  GREETING  FROM  THE  METHODISTS  — 
GOOD     DONE    THROUGH    THE    FUND  —  ACCOUNTING    FOR    $400,000  — 
AMBASSADOR  PAUNCEFOTE  CONVEYS  INDIA'S   THANKS 53 

V.  THE  GREAT  INDIA  FAMINE  RELIEF 

WHEN  FIVE  MILLIONS  FACED  STARVATION  —  FUNDS  CABLED  BY  "  THE  CHRIS- 
TIAN HERALD"  —  SPEEDING  THE  RELIEF  SHIP  "QUITO"  —  PRESIDENT 
MC  KINLEY'S  PRACTICAL  SYMPATHY  —  DR.  KLOPSCH'B  VISIT  TO  THE 
STRICKEN  LAND  —  HIS  GRAPHIC  STORY  OF  SCENES  OF  SUFFERING  — 

VIVID     PEN     PICTUHOB     OF     CITY    AND    COUNTRY  —  ARRIVAL    Of    THE 

iz 


X  CONTENTS 

FAG* 

"QUITO"  —  CARGO  DISTRIBUTED— MOHE  FUNDS  —  MISSIONARIES'  TES- 
TIMONIALS —  DB.  KLOPSCH'S  RETURN  TO  THE  UNITED  STATES  —  SUM- 
MART  OF  RECEIPTS  AND  EXPENDITURES 68 

VI.  SOLVING  THE  INDIA  ORPHAN  PROBLEM 

HOW  A  PERMANENT  FUND  WAS  ESTABLISHED ANNUAL  CONTRIBUTIONS 

—  DR.  KLOPSCH'S  ELOQUENT  TRIBUTE  TO  THE  MISSIONARIES  —  HIS 

STORY  OF  HIS  VISIT  TO  PUNDITA  RAMABAl's  SCHOOL PLEDGES  OF 

SUPPORT FIRST  RESULTS  OF  THE  WORK A  CHARACTERISTIC  LETTER 

—  INDIA'S  CHILDREN  HER  HOPE  —  INDUSTRIAL  TRAINING — AMBITIOUS 

BOYS CARE  FOR  THE  GIRLS EVIDENCES  OF  APPRECIATION DR. 

DEVIN'S  REPORT KING  EDWARD  CONFERS  THE  KAISER-I-HIND  MEDAL 

ON  DR.  KLOPSCH 89 

VII.  SUCCOR  FOR  STRICKEN  CUBA 

STRUGGLES  TO  FREE  THE  MOST  BEAUTIFUL  ISLAND GOMEZ  AND  MACEO 

BURNING   CANE  FIELDS WEYLER's  RECONCENTRATION  ORDER 

AN   EYE-WITNESS'  ACCOUNT  OF  THE  MISERY  —  WAR'S  DESOLATION  — 

VISITS  TO  THE  PRISON  CAMPS SENTIMENT  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES 

PRESIDENT  MC  KINLEY's  CHRISTMAS  APPEAL DR.  KLOPSCH  ON  THE 

RELIEF  COMMITTEE  —  HIS  TRIP  TO  HAVANA AN   EXAMPLE  OF  HIS 

METHODS SILENT  SUFFERERS GEN.  FITZHUGH  LEE THE  PRESI- 
DENT'S APPRECIATION 105 

VIII.  FINLAND  AND  SWEDEN 

CHARACTERISTICS  OF  THE  FAR  NORTH THE  CROPS FAMINE  FROM  FLOOD 

AND   FROST   IN   1902-03 PRESIDENT  ROOSEVELT  CONTRIBUTES   TO 

"THE  CHRISTIAN  HERALD"  RELIEF  FUND  —  DR.  KLOPSCH'S  MIDWINTER 

MISSION POETRY  OF  THE  PEOPLE TRAVELING  ON  SNOWSHOES  AND 

SLEDGES INCIDENTS   DESCRIBED   BY   DR.   KLOPSCH WELCOME   BY 

SONG  AND  FLOWERS FAMILY  LIFE REVERENT  CUSTOMS SUCCOR- 
ING THE  DISTRESSED PUBLIC  DEMONSTRATIONS FAREWELL  RECEP- 
TION   AID  FOR  SWEDEN  AND  NORWAY RECEIVED  BY  THE  KING  AND 

QUEEN  AT  STOCKHOLM AUDIENCE  WITH  THE  DANISH  ROYAL  FAMILY 

AT  COPENHAGEN  —  NORWEGIAN  APPRECIATION  —  ADDRESS  FROM  FIN- 
LANDERS  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES 121 

EX.  MODERN  MACEDONIA 

MIXED  RACES  TINDER  TURKISH  RULE DESCRIPTION  OF  AN  INTERESTING 

COUNTRY  AND  ITS  PEOPLE CAUSES  OF  BRIGANDAGE KIDNAPPING 

OF  ELLEN  M.  STONE,  THE  MISSIONARY DEMAND  FOR  RANSOM DR. 

KLOPSCH  RAISES   FUNDS MISS  STONE'S  STORY  OF  THE  CAPTURE  AND 

RELEASE HOW  FREEDOM  WAS  OBTAINED THE  INSURRECTION  IN 

1903 ATROCITIES  AND  SUFFERINGS APPEAL  BY  "THE  CHRISTIAN 

HERALD"  —  READY  RESPONSES  —  DR.  KLOPSCH  COMMISSIONS  A  MACE- 
DONIAN PASTOR  —  HIS  REPORTS  ON  THE  RELIEF  WORK  —  GRATITUDE 
TO  AMERICA  —  SATISFACTORY  RESULTS 148 

X.  CHINA'S  SORROW 

MILLIONS  WHO  SUFFER  FROM  RIVER  FLOODS  —  DISTRESS  IN  1899  —  FRESH 

CALAMITY    IN    1901 MINISTER  WU's    STATEMENT DR.   KLOPSCH   ON 

THE  AMERICAN  ATTITUDE  TOWARD  CHINA LI  HUNG  CHANG'S  MES- 
SAGE— MINISTER  CONGER'S  CONTRIBUTION  —  DR.  KLOPSCH'S  RELIEF 


CONTENTS  xi 

PAQ» 

ORGANIZATION — PRESIDENT  MCKINLEY  AND  SECRETARY  HAT  AID  — 

AMERICAN  MISSIONARY  COMMITTEE APPEAL  FROM  CHINESE  CHURCHES 

SPECIAL  COMMISSIONER  NICHOLS  DISPATCHED GRAPHIC  DESCRIP- 
TIONS OF  THE  REMOTE  PROVINCES IN  THE  HEART  OF  SHANSI NATIVE 

CUSTOMS  —  HOW  8HENSI  WAS  SUCCORED WHAT  "THE  CHRISTIAN 

HERALD"  ACCOMPLISHED 163 

XI.  FURTHER  FAMINES  IN  CHINA 

SUCCORING  THE  DISTRESS  IN  1903  —  FOOD  FLOTILLA  —  THE  BLACK  HUNGER 

CLOUD  IN  1906 OVERFLOW  OF  THE  GRAND  CANAL PRESIDENT  ROOSE- 

VELT'S  CHRISTMAS  APPEAL — "THE  CHRISTIAN  HERALD"  CONTRIBUTIONS 

ACCOUNTS      FROM     SPECIAL     CORRESPONDENT     ELLIS     OF     MILLIONS 

STARVING THE  PRESIDENT   AND  SECRETARY  ROOT  CONTRIBUTE DR. 

KLOPSCH    PROVIDES    CARGO    FOR    THE    "BUFORD" SECRETARY    TAFT 

SPEAKS   FOR  THE  RED  CROSS RELIEF    SHIP'S    DEPARTURE    FROM    SAN 

FRANCISCO SPECIAL     COMMISSIONER     JOHNSTONE's      STORY    OF     THE 

DISTRIBUTION OFFICIAL  CEREMONIES MISSIONARIES'  ACTIVITIES 

FINANCIAL    SUMMARY PERMANENT    EFFECTS PROVISION    FOR     THE 

ORPHANS  —  TRIBUTE  FROM  THE  RED  CROSS 182 

XH.  SYMPATHY  WITH  THE  NEW  JAPAN 

CLOSE  BOND  WITH  THE  AMERICAN  PEOPLE FAILURE  OF  THE  RICE  CROP  IN 

1906 DISTRESS  OF    THE    POPULATION "THE    CHRISTIAN    HERALD" 

STARTS  THE  FUNDS COOPERATION    IN  RELIEF  MOVEMENTS SKETCH 

OF  THE  JAPANESE  RED  CROSS MISSIONARY  COMMITTEE PRESIDENT 

ROOSEVELT  THANKS  DR.  KLOPSCH HOPE  DAWNS STATE  DEPARTMENT 

REPORTS PERMANENT  AID    FOR   THE    ORPHANS GRATEFUL   LETTER 

FROM  GOVERNORS  OF  THE  SUCCORED  PROVINCES JAPANESE  GOVERN- 
MENT'S RECOGNITION  —  BARON  OZAWA's  SPECIAL  MISSION  —  ORDER  OF 
THE  RISING  SUN  CONFERRED  ON  DR.  KLOPSCH  —  FURTHER  ACKNOWL- 
EDGMENTS   202 

XIH.  FAIR  ITALY'S  APPALLING  CALAMITY 

HISTORIC  VOLCANIC  ERUPTIONS THE  TERRIFYING  CHRISTMAS  WEEK  OP 

1908 BEAUTIFUL  MESSINA'S  DESTRUCTION  BY  EARTHQUAKE THE 

TIDAL  WAVE NEIGHBORING  TOWNS  WIPED  OUT "THE  CHRISTIAN 

HERALD"  CABLES  AID  FOR  THE  SURVIVORS  —  REV.  DR.  CARTER  COMMIS- 
SIONED TO  VISIT  THE  SCENES  OF  SORROW THRILLING  STORY  OF  WHAT 

HE  SAW REGGIO  AND  THE  SICILIAN  COAST "MOTHER  AND  CHILD 

CHARITY"  PROPOSED  BY  DR.  KLOPSCH  —  HEROIC  QUEEN  HELENA'S  AID 

ASSISTANCE  GIVEN  THE  WALDENSIAN  CHRISTIANS VISIT  TO  ITALY 

BY  ROYAL  INVITATION AMBASSADOR  GRISCOM's  COURTESY AUDI- 
ENCE WITH  KING  VICTOR  EMMANUEL DR.  KLOPSCH's  ACCOUNT 

APPRECIATIVE  COMMENT 219 

XIV.  OUR  OWN  AND  NEARBY  LANDS 

HOME  RELIEF  WORK  —  NEW  YORK  IN  THE  WINTER  OF  1893-94  —  REV. 
STEPHEN  MERRITT'S  TRAVELERS'  CLUB  —  DR.   KLOPSCH  ESTABLISHES 

FOOD    AND    FUEL  STATIONS  —  END   OF   THE    DISTRESS SUFFERING 

CAUSED   BY   CROP   FAILURES  IN  1894 SUCCOR  FOR  THE  WESTERN 

STATES INCIDENTS  OF  A  PERSONAL  VISIT AID  IN  THE  GALVEBTON 

TIDAL  WAVE  OF  1900  —  HELP  FOR  THE  KANSAS  FLOOD  SUFFERERS  IN 
1903 CONTRIBUTION  TO  THE  SAN  FRANCISCO  EARTHQUAKE  BUF- 


xii  CONTENTS 

PAOM 

FEBEBS  IN  1906  —  HURRICANE  AND  FLOOD  IN  PORTO  RICO  IN  1899  — 
"CHRISTIAN  HERALD"  CONTRIBUTIONS  —  DESTRUCTIVE  WATERS  AT 

MONTEREY,    MEXICO,    IN  1909 DB.  KLOPSCH   SENDS   MONET   AND 

BLANKETS  —  APPRECIATION 242 

XV.  THE  BOWERY  MISSION 

HUMAN    DRIFTWOOD    OF    A   GREAT   CITY ROMANTIC   WAY   IN   WHICH    DR. 

KLOPSCH  BECAME  INTERESTED  IN  THE  MISSION FINANCIAL  RESPON- 
SIBILITY ASSUMED LIFE  BOAT  FOR  MORAL  SHIPWRECKS MRS.  BIRD'S 

NOBLE  LABORS SUPERINTENDENT  HALLIMOND TWENTIETH  ANNI- 
VERSARY —  A  WOMAN'S  STORY  OF  THE  THANKSGIVING  DINNER  —  THE 

BREAD   LINE PATHOS  OF    A    FUNERAL CELEBRATED  VISITORS 

PASTOR  CHARLES  WAGNER'S  VISIT HIS  OWN  STORY  OF  A  TYPICAL 

AUDIENCE INCIDENTS  OF  DR.  KLOPSCH's  WORK  AMONG  THE  OUTCASTS 

TOLD  BY  ONE  WHO  KNEW PRESIDENT  TAFl's  VISIT  THE  CROWNING 

EVENT HIS  UPLIFTING  TALK  AS  MAN  TO  MAN "  CHRISTIAN   HER- 

ALD'S"  COMMENT 260 

XVI.  THE  CRY  OF  THE  CHILDREN 

HOW  THE  MONT-LAWN  HOME  CAME  TO  BE  OPENED  IN  1895 GROWTH  OP 

•     DR.  KLOPSCH'S  FAVORITE  CHARITY  —  STREET  WAIFS  IN  THE  GREAT  CITY 

FROM  THE  SLUMS  TO  AN  EARTHLY  PARADISE A  DAY'S  DOINGS  FOR 

THE  TENEMENT  GUESTS  DESCRIBED SATURDAY  AFTERNOON  ROMPS 

WHAT  A  STRANGER  FROM  ENGLAND  SAW SONGS  OF  PRAISE THE 

TEMPLE  SERVICES DR.   KLOPSCH's  UNIQUE  MESSAGE  TO  YOUTHFUL 

HEARTS  —  LESSONS  IN  PATRIOTISM DISTINGUISHED  VISITORS  ON  THE 

FOURTH  OF  JULY A  CELEBRATION  WITHOUT  THE   FOUNDER THE 

CHINESE  MINISTER'S  TRIBUTE  —  FUTURE  OF  MONT-LAWN      ....     289 

XVII.  EDITOR  AND  PUBLISHER 

BROAD   FIELD   OF   THE   EVANGELICAL   NEWSPAPER  —  THE  WEEKLY   PULPIT 

AND  OTHER  FEATURES SYMPOSIUMS  ON  IMPORTANT  TOPICS FAMOUS 

CONTRIBUTORS  —  DWIGHT     L.     MOODY*8    GRATITUDE      FOR      IMPORTANT 

SERVICES EDITORIAL     ASSOCIATES "THE      CHRISTIAN      HERALD's" 

SUCCESSFUL    CAMPAIGN  TO  RESTORE   THE   MOTTO  " IN    GOD   WE   TRUST*' 

ON  THE   NATIONAL  COINAGE ANTI-MORMON  AGITATION SUPPORT  OF 

TEMPERANCE DR.  KLOPSCH's  ORIGINAL  METHODS BELIEF  IN  PUB- 
LICITY   INTIMATE  PERSONAL  RELATION  WITH  SUBSCRIBERS USE- 
FULNESS AS  A  PUBLISHER  OF  GOOD  LITERATURE CIRCULATING  THE 

SCRIPTURES THE  RED  LETTER  BIBLE 309 

XVHI.  THE  MAN  AND  HIS  METHODS 

MARKS   OF   GREAT   BUSINESS    CAPACITY HOW   HIS    PHILANTHROPIC    CAM- 
PAIGNS  WERE   ORGANIZED WAYS  OF    COLLECTING  FUNDS MANNER 

OF  DISTRIBUTION A  SACRED  STEWARDSHIP DR.  KLOPSCH's  INTI- 
MATE PERSONAL  RELATIONSHIP  WITH  RELIEF  CONTRIBUTORS IN- 
STANCES OF  QUICK  PERCEPTION MR.  SANDISON's  ACCOUNT  OF  GOING 

AHEAD  ON  FAITH APPLICATION  OF   ABILITY  IN    HIS  OWN  AFFAIRS 

THINKING  IN  FIGURES AN  HOUR  IN  "THE  CHRISTIAN  HERALD "  OFFICE 

ADVICE   TO  A   CONVICT KINDLY  RELATIONS   WITH   ASSOCIATES  AND 

EMPLOYEES IMPRESSIONS     OF    A     FOREIGN    VISITOR PERSONALITY 

ANALYZED  BY  A  HINDU  JOURNALIST SUNDAY  SCHOOL  ACTIVITIES  .  326 


CONTENTS  xiii 

PAGE 

XIX.  A  FAITHFUL  STEWARDSHIP 

THE  SECRET  OP  A  SUCCESSFUL  LIFE REVIEW  OF  THE  MANY  GOOD  CAUSES 

AIDED  BY  DR.  KLOPSCH NUMEROUS  FIELDS  OF  CHRISTIAN  HELPFUL- 
NESS SUMMARIZED WIDE  FIELD  OF  PHILANTHROPIC  AND  CHARITABLE 

LABORS HOME   AND   FOREIGN   MISSIONS MISCELLANEOUS    RELIEF 

MOVEMENTS HOW  THE  FUNDS  WERE  COLLECTED  AND  DISBURSED 

ACCOUNTANTS'  CERTIFICATES  —  WONDERFUL  FINANCIAL  SHOWING  .      .     345 

XX.  ILLNESS  AND  DEATH 

BRIEF  BIOGRAPHICAL  ANNALS    OF  A  BUSY    LIFE HAPPY  MARRIAGE 

IDEAL  HOME  CIRCLE THE  FATAL  MALADY THE  WORLD  SHOCKED  BY 

THE  NEWS  OF  DR.  KLOPSCH's  DEATH PRESIDENT  TAFT's  SORROW 

CONDOLENCES  FROM  FOREIGN  GOVERNMENTS SPONTANEOUS  TRIBUTES 

—  PASTOR  WILKINSON'S  EULOGY  TO  NEW  YORK  BUSINESS  MEN  —  FU- 
NERAL SERVICES  AT  THE  METROPOLITAN  TEMPLE ALL  CLASSES  AMONG 

THE    MOURNERS REV.    J.    WESLEY    HILL'S   INVOCATION DR.    HALLI- 

MOND'S    PRAYER REV.    J.     M.     BUCKLEY'S    EULOGY LESSONS    OF    A 

NOBLE  MANHOOD BEAUTIFUL  MASONIC  SERVICE BURIAL  AT  TARRY- 
TOWN   358 

XXI.  THE  VOICE  THAT  YET  SPEAKS 

TESTIMONY  TO  THE  ENDURING  INFLUENCE  OF  DR.  KLOPSCH*8  GOOD  WORKS 

A  SOLDIER  OF  HUMANITY MUTUAL  CONFIDENCE  IN  "THE  CHRISTIAN 

HERALD"  FAMILY  —  PUBLIC  MEMORIAL  MEETING  —  RABBI  MICHELSON'S 
PRAISE  —  BISHOP  DARLINGTON'S  ADDRESS  —  DR.  MARSDEN'S  ANALYSIS 

A  WORD  FROM  IRVING   BACHELLER DR.    HILL's  TALK JUDGE 

TOMPKIN'S  VIEW  —  DR.  IGLEHART'S  STORY  —  EDITORIAL  COMMENT  .     .     380 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

Louis  Klopsch Frontispiece 

FACING  PAGE 

A  Group  of  India  Famine  Orphans,  Supported  by  The  Christian  Herald  58 

Widows  of  the  India  Famine 60 

Orphan  Children  of  India,  Supported  by  The  Christian  Herald  ...  60 
The  Ceremony  of  "Sampling  the  Cargo"  of  the  Relief  Ship  Quito  in 

Bombay 81 

Government  Famine  Relief  Works,  Gujerat,  India 96 

Famine  Orphans  at  Nellore,  India •  .  96 

Dr.  and  Mrs.  Klopsch  at  the  Grave  of  the  Maine  Victims,  Havana  .  .  113 

Relief  Work  among  the  Cuban  Reconcentrados 113 

Starving  Cubans  Begging  Food  of  a  United  States  Warship  in  Havana 

Harbor 117 

Convalescent  Soldiers  at  the  Children's  Home,  Mont-Lawn  .  ...  117 
Two  Thousand  School  Children  of  Uleaborg,  Finland,  Singing  to 

Welcome  The  Christian  Herald  Relief  Party 124 

Dr.  Klopsch  and  the  Furnish  Relief  Committee  in  Session  in  Helsingfors  .  128 

Market-place  at  Helsingfors,  Finland 133 

Dr.  Klopsch  and  the  Finnish  Relief  Committee 133 

Finnish  Children  in  a  Peasant  School 140 

Farm  Laborers  of  Finland 140 

The  Bulgarian  Army  Going  into  Winter  Quarters 161 

Macedonian  Pastors  and  Others  Represented  in  the  Relief  Work  .  .  161 

Mobbing  a  Food  Distributor  in  China 176 

A  Typical  Famine-stricken  Family  at  Suchien,  China 176 

The  United  States  Troopship  Buford,  which  Carried  Relief  to  China.  .  197 

Unloading  the  Buford's  Cargo 197 

Emperor  Mutsuhito  and  the  Empress  of  Japan 204 

The  Decoration  of  the  "  Rising  Sun  " 204 

In  a  Japanese  Peasant  Home 209 

The  Poor  Quarters  of  a  Japanese  Peasant  Family 209 

xv 


XVI  ILLUSTRATIONS 

FACING  PAGE 
Baron  Ozawa  Showing   The  Christian  Herald  to  the  Famine-stricken 

People  of  Fukushima 213 

Little  Japanese  Orphans  at  Okayama,  Supported  by  The  Christian  Herald  220 

Rescuing  a  Victim  of  the  Italian  Earthquake 224 

Housekeeping  in  the  Streets  and  Parks 224 

Havoc  Wrought  by  the  Flood  in  Monterey  Streets 257 

The  River  Front  in  Monterey  during  the  Great  Flood 257 

Tenement  Waifs  at  the  Children's  Home,  Welcoming  Dr.  Klopsch  .  272 

President  Taft  on  the  Platform  of  the  Bowery  Mission,  New  York  .  .  289 

Admiral  Sigsbee  Addressing  a  Fourth  of  July  Audience  at  the  Children's  > 

Home,  Mont-Lawn 304 

Dr.  Geo.  H.  Sandison,  Editor  of  The  Christian  Herald 837 

President  Taft,  Mr.  Carnegie,  and  Dr.  Klopsch  at  the  Organ  Dedication, 

Metropolitan  Temple,  New  York 352 

Accountant's  Certificate  .  ,  356 


LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 


LIFE-WORK  OF    LOUIS   KLOPSCH 

CHAPTER    I 

EARLY  ACTIVITIES 

AMERICAN  OPPORTUNITY  EMBRACED  BY  YOUNG  KLOPSCH  —  "GOOD  MORNING*' 
TO  THE  BUSINESS  WORLD BUYS  A  PRINTING  OFFICE PIONEER  IN  PIC- 
TORIAL JOURNALISM APTITUDE  SHOWN SYNDICATING  HEV.  T.  DEWITT 

TALMAGE'S  SERMONS  —  TRIP  TO  EUROPE  AND  THE  HOLY  LAND  —  PURCHASE 
OF  "THE  CHRISTIAN  HERALD"  —  THE  CHOSEN  INSTRUMENT  OF  A  NOBLE 
AMBITION  —  FIRST  FIVE  YEARS  REVIEWED. 

THE  early  struggles  of  successful  men  are 
familiar  chapters.  By  some  instinct  they 
seek  the  field  in  which  their  abilities  will 
find  the  sphere  of  action  to  which  they  are  best 
adapted.  America  has  been  the  land  of  opportunity 
for  hosts  of  those  who,  born  abroad,  have  left 
the  country  of  their  birth  in  early  youth  and  in  the 
New  World  have  realized  their  ambitions.  Others 
have  been  born  and  brought  up  in  this  favored 
country,  while  some  have  come  to  it  at  such  an  early 
age  that  they  may  almost  be  considered  as  native 
born. 

Louis  Klopsch,  though  born  in  Germany,  was 
essentially  an  American  boy.  His  young  life  was 
spent  in  New  York  and  vicinity.  Opportunity  lay 
all  around  him,  but  he  did  not  wait  for  it  to  come 
to  him.  He  sought  it.  He  soon  drifted  into  various 
advertising  and  publishing  enterprises.  Always  it 
was  the  new  idea  which  appealed  to  him. 

i 


2  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

Just  out  of  his  teens  in  the  early  seventies  he 
saluted  the  reading  public  with  Good  Morning,  a  four- 
page  publication,  the  size  of  The  Christian  Herald, 
printed  upon  high-grade  tinted  paper,  with  excellent 
selections  of  reading  matter  suited  to  the  family, 
issued  weekly.  He  found  a  great  sale  for  this  paper 
amongst  retail  dealers  in  dry  goods,  boots  and  shoes, 
groceries,  drugs,  etc.,  who  would  purchase  one  or 
more  thousand  copies  for  distribution  in  the  immedi- 
ate neighborhood  of  their  stores.  Each  retail  dealer 
was  privileged  to  have  his  own  advertisement  appear 
in  the  copies  he  purchased.  With  about  a  hundred 
retail  dealers  as  customers  he  could  readily  afford 
to  permit  each  to  have  his  wish  gratified  in  distrib- 
uting the  paper  to  his  neighbors. 

Possessed  of  a  very  active  brain,  publishing  be- 
came his  forte.  His  great  aim  and  ambition  ran  in 
the  channel  of  the  printing  and  publishing  business. 

He  had  worked  up  a  plan  for  a  special  publication 
which  he  believed  would  prove  a  success.  Being 
fundless  he  sought  out  one  who  had  befriended 
him  on  similar  occasions,  and  with  his  aid  he  in  the 
latter  part  of  the  Centennial  year  issued  the  first 
numbers  of  the  Daily  Hotel  Reporter;  and  through 
it  he  began  to  get  a  solid  footing,  finally  purchasing 
a  printing  office. 

Some  years  after  this  he  met  the  friend  who  had 
stood  by  him  in  the  past,  related  his  circumstances, 
and  impressed  this  friend  with  the  fact  that  he  was 
not  unmindful  of  the  former  kind  acts  nor  of  his 
financial  indebtedness  to  him;  that  he  hoped  soon 
to  liquidate  it,  and  also  remarked  that  if  he  could 


EARLY  ACTIVITIES  3 

send  any  printing  to  this  man's  printing  office  he 
would  gladly  do  it  and  it  could  apply  on  the  old 
account. 

Shortly  after  this  conversation  his  old  patron 
dropped  into  the  office  and  informed  Mr.  Klopsch 
that  one  to  whom  he  was  personally  indebted  de- 
sired to  have  a  law  case  printed,  having  lost  a  suit 
which  was  to  be  appealed,  and  it  required  several 
thousand  dollars'  worth  of  printing.  Mr.  Klopsch 
agreed  to  do  the  printing,  but  after  taking  account 
of  stock — that  is,  type  and  finances — found  himself 
up  against  a  stone  wall;  yet,  resourceful  in  thought 
and  plan,  he  hit  upon  a  solution.  As  the  work  would 
more  than  three  times  cover  the  amount  of  his  in- 
debtedness, if  the  party  requiring  the  printing  would 
upon  submission  of  proofs  of  each  one  hundred  pages 
advance  one-third  in  cash,  he  would  be  enabled  to 
purchase  the  necessary  type  and  print  the  law  case, 
and  out  of  the  other  two-thirds  the  total  indebted- 
ness would  be  wiped  out.  And  it  was  done,  showing 
a  new  way  to  pay  old  debts. 

This  incident  proves  the  honesty  of  purpose  with 
which  he  was  imbued.  And  up  to  the  time  of  his 
passing  away  he  never  lost  an  opportunity  of  prac- 
tically showing  his  appreciation  of  his  old  standby, 
who  doubly  benefited  by  this  transaction,  for  he 
was  enabled  to  wipe  out  an  old  score  of  debt  to  his 
friend  for  whom  the  printing  was  done. 

At  the  same  time  he  engaged  in  various  enter- 
prises which  called  forth  the  exertions  of  his  powers 
of  impressing  people  with  his  business  capacity.  In 
later  years  he  was  accustomed  to  speak  of  an  inci- 


4  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

dent  when  he  was  hard  pressed  by  the  tightness  of 
business. 

"I  remember,"  he  said,  "that  when  I  was  editing 
an  album  and  doing  an  advertising  business,  things 
were  dreadfully  dark;  there  was  absolutely  nothing 
in  sight,  and  I  was  somewhat  discouraged;  but  such 
moods  never  lasted  long  with  me,  and  I  quickly  made 
up  my  mind  to  make  business.  I  took  my  last  thirty 
dollars  —  it  was  all  I  had  in  ready  cash  —  bought  a 
new  suit,  necktie,  and  hat,  got  shaved,  and  had  my 
boots  blacked.  Then  I  went  out  and  made  things 
hum,  turning  in  more  business  than  I  had  done  in 
many  a  day.  I  learned  from  this  and  other  similar 
experiences  the  importance  of  putting  on  a  good 
front  in  business,  and  of  what  great  value  to  a 
young  man  was  his  personal  appearance  and  neat- 
ness in  making  an  impression  upon  those  he  comes 
in  contact  with  in  business.  I  never  forgot  that 
experience." 

Pictorial  journalism  was  one  of  the  features  of 
young  Klopsch's  early  activities.  With  his  intui- 
tive perception  of  what  the  great  masses  of  people 
wanted,  he  saw  that  the  picture  appealed  to  them 
in  connection  with  reading  matter.  At  that  period 
mechanical  processes  for  illustrating  newspapers  were 
in  a  backward  state  of  development.  The  illus- 
trations in  the  daily  journals,  which  now  form  so 
marked  a  feature,  were  almost  unknown.  Occasion- 
ally some  enterprising  journal  would  reproduce  the 
portrait  of  a  distinguished  person,  usually  in  connec- 
tion with  an  obituary.  Young  Klopsch  saw  that 
readers  wanted  to  see  how  people  of  note  looked 


EARLY  ACTIVITIES  5 

and  that  it  was  not  necessary  to  wait  until  they 
were  dead  in  order  to  reproduce  their  portraits.  He 
accordingly  established  the  Pictorial  Associated  Press, 
which  began  in  a  small  way  by  supplying  cuts  of 
men  and  women  who  were  in  the  public  eye,  and 
this  business  he  enlarged  until  the  development  of 
mechanical  processes  enabled  the  leading  journals  to 
provide  themselves  with  their  own  means  of  illus- 
tration. Many  of  the  ideas  which  they  followed 
were  due  to  the  initiative  of  Mr.  Klopsch  and  the 
Pictorial  Associated  Press  which  he  controlled. 

An  incident  which  illustrated  his  views  of  business 
relations  occurred  during  these  early  years  when 
he  was  experimenting  with  various  publications. 
A  place  on  one  of  them  became  vacant.  The 
work  was  of  a  fixed  character,  at  a  fixed  salary. 
A  young  man,  who  afterward  achieved  reputation, 
was  at  that  time  walking  the  streets  of  New  York  in 
search  of  employment.  He  heard  of  an  opening  on 
the  Klopsch  publication,  and  in  his  anxiety  to  obtain 
work,  went  to  the  proprietor  and  offered  to  take 
the  place  at  a  smaller  salary  than  had  previously 
been  paid.  Mr.  Klopsch  refused  the  offer.  "That 
work,"  he  said,  "is  worth  so  much  a  week,  and  we 
have  been  paying  so  much  as  salary.  If  you  can 
perform  it  satisfactorily,  you  are  entitled  to  have 
the  full  salary.  If  you  can't  do  it  to  suit  us,  your 
services  won't  be  cheap  at  the  rate  you  offer,  because 
we  won't  want  you  at  all.  Suppose  you  start  in,  and 
we  will  give  you  the  full  salary.  But  if  we  find  you 
incompetent,  we  won't  keep  you." 

The  offer  wras  gratefully  accepted.    The  young  man 


LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

performed  the  duties  of  the  position  satisfactorily 
until  his  talents  gave  him  an  opening  in  another 
direction.  It  was  characteristic  of  young  Klopsch 's 
business  principles,  which  he  carried  through  his 
later  life,  that  he  was  always  ready  to  pay  full  value 
for  services  rendered. 

In  his  business  activities  as  a  young  man,  Mr. 
Klopsch  did  not  neglect  the  evangelical  work  to 
which  he  gave  the  best  of  his  mature  manhood. 
He  was  attracted  to  the  Brooklyn  Tabernacle,  of 
which  the  Rev.  T.  DeWitt  Talmage  was  the  pastor. 
They  were  thrown  together,  and  a  warm  friendship 
sprang  up.  Dr.  Talmage's  methods  were  considered 
sensational,  but  the  message  he  delivered  from  the 
pulpit  he  had  to  deliver  in  his  own  way.  That  it 
was  an  acceptable  message  was  shown  by  the  multi- 
tudes who  thronged  the  Tabernacle  to  hear  him. 

The  daily  newspapers  of  New  York  Monday 
mornings  usually  contained  a  report  of  his  sermon, 
and  these  reports  were  sometimes  republished  by 
other  newspapers,  but  they  had  no  general  circula- 
tion. Mr.  Klopsch  saw  that  a  vast  audience  beyond 
the  confines  of  the  Brooklyn  Tabernacle  were  eager 
to  read,  if  they  could  not  hear,  Dr.  Talmage's  ser- 
mons regularly.  He  conceived  the  plan  of  syndicat- 
ing them  to  several  hundred  papers.  At  that  time 
this  means  of  supplying  large  numbers  of  readers 
with  the  same  material  had  not  come  into  general 
use.  Mr.  Klopsch  first  broached  the  suggestion  to 
Dr.  Talmage  and  obtained  his  consent.  Then  he 
took  it  up  with  newspapers  large  and  small  all  over 
the  world.  Some  were  doubtful,  and  others  indiffer- 
ent, but  the  majority  were  glad  to  have  the  oppor- 


EARLY  ACTIVITIES  7 

tunity  of  offering  their  readers  the  weekly  sermon 
as  delivered  in  the  Brooklyn  Tabernacle,  furnished 
in  advance  so  that  it  could  be  published  the  day 
following  its  delivery. 

The  syndicating  of  the  Talmage  sermons  was  grad- 
ually developed  until  it  became  one  of  Mr.  Klopsch's 
most  important  business  enterprises.  It  began  in 

1885. 

At  this  period,  Mr.  Klopsch  was  beginning  to  make 
an  impression  on  the  publishing  world.  His  energy, 
ability,  and  determination  to  succeed  overcame  every 
obstacle  and  commanded  the  good-will,  respect,  and 
support  of  all  with  whom  he  came  in  contact.  His 
industry  and  his  fidelity  to  business  engagements 
helped  him  to  win  his  way  to  higher  success.  He 
had  started  out  without  a  dollar  of  capital,  and  the 
limitation  of  funds  at  his  command  restricted  some- 
what his  enterprises,  but  gradually  he  was  able  to 
give  his  energies  broader  scope. 

Mr.  Klopsch,  as  a  development  of  the  syndication 
of  the  Talmage  sermons,  proposed  to  the  famous 
divine  a  trip  to  Europe  and  to  the  Holy  Land.  Dr. 
Talmage  consented,  and  Mr.  Klopsch  accompanied 
him.  The  trip  was  made  in  1889.  Dr.  Talmage 
preached  in  many  places  abroad,  and  these  sermons 
when  published  in  the  United  States  met  with  great 
favor. 

Mr.  Klopsch  often  spoke  of  this  visit  to  the  Holy 
Land  as  one  of  the  most  enjoyable  experiences  of 
his  life.  It  was  the  fulfillment  of  a  desire  that  he 
had  cherished  from  boyhood.  In  letters  to  his 
friends  he  gave  his  impressions  in  his  own  vivid 
manner. 


8  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

During  this  trip  abroad,  Mr.  Klopsch  matured 
plans  that  had  long  been  working  in  his  mind.  He 
spent  some  time  in  England  in  conference  with  the 
Rev.  Michael  Baxter,  the  owner  of  The  Christian 
Herald.  This  popular  British  weekly  had  a  large 
circulation  in  the  United  Kingdom.  An  edition  was 
also  published  in  New  York  for  American  readers. 
The  American  edition  had  much  in  it  of  value,  but 
Mr.  Klopsch  thought  that  if  it  could  be  dedicated 
more  especially  to  readers  of  the  United  States,  its 
usefulness  would  become  greater.  Besides,  he  had 
certain  ideas  of  his  own  which  he  wanted  to  carry 
out.  After  some  negotiations  with  Dr.  Baxter,  the 
arrangement  was  made  by  which  he  took  the  man- 
agement of  The  Christian  Herald  in  New  York,  and 
subsequently  bought  it  outright,  so  that  it  became 
his  sole  property,  and  his  cherished  ambition  was 
realized.  At  that  time  it  had  a  circulation  of  about 
30,000,  which  was  considered  good  for  a  religious 
journal.  Mr.  Klopsch  told  some  of  his  associates 
that  the  circulation  could  be  brought  up  to  a  quar- 
ter of  a  million.  This  seemed  a  wild  notion  in  view 
of  the  limitations  with  which  religious  journals  were 
supposed  to  be  surrounded.  But  before  his  death, 
twenty  years  later,  Mr.  Klopsch's  judgment  was 
amply  vindicated. 

On  his  return  to  New  York,  when  he  found  him- 
self in  full  control  of  The  Christian  Herald,  Mr. 
Klopsch  arranged  to  relinquish  his  other  newspaper 
publications,  and  thereafter  his  energies  were  de- 
voted solely  to  the  paper  and  to  the  publishing 
business  which  he  developed  from  it. 


EARLY  ACTIVITIES  9 

Dr.  Talmage  became  coadjutor  editor,  and  Mr. 
Klopsch  began  to  develop  his  plans.  He  had  two 
leading  purposes  in  view.  He  determined  to  make 
The  Christian  Herald  the  most  successful  religious 
paper  in  the  world,  and  to  make  it  a  medium  of 
American  bounty  to  the  needy  throughout  the 
world.  He  had  found  his  life-work  in  his  chosen 
sphere.  His  views  of  the  field  of  the  religious  news- 
paper were  to  give  it  a  broad  evangelical  character  and 
to  make  it  co-ordinate  with  the  secular  newspaper. 

An  editorial  which  appeared  a  year  or  so  after 
Mr.  Klopsch  became  the  owner  reflected  his  views 
of  the  secular  newspaper,  as  well  as  of  the  evangelical 
journal. 

"  I  congratulate  newspaper  men,"  said  the  editorial, 
"on  the  splendor  of  an  opportunity,  but  I  charge 
them  before  God  that  they  be  careful  to  use  their 
influence  in  the  right  direction.  How  grand  will  be 
the  result  in  the  last  day  for  the  man  who  has  con- 
secrated the  printing  press  to  high  and  holy  objects ! 
God  will  say  to  such  a  one,  '  You  broke  off  a  million 
chains,  you  opened  a  million  blind  eyes,  you  gave 
resurrection  to  a  million  of  the  dead.' 

"It  is  a  vast  responsibility  that  rests  upon  people 
who  set  type,  or  sit  in  editorial  chairs.  The  audience 
is  so  large,  the  influence  is  so  great,  the  results  are 
so  eternal,  that  I  believe  in  the  day  of  judgment, 
amid  all  the  millions  of  men  who  will  come  up  to 
render  their  accounts,  the  largest  accounts  will  be 
rendered  by  newspaper  men." 

How  far  his  ambition  was  to  be  fulfilled  gradually 
began  to  be  apparent.  In  a  December  issue  in  1894, 


10  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

there  was  "A  word  about  ourselves."    Among  other 
things  the  article  said: 

"So  swiftly  does  time  pass  that  it  seems  scarcely 
possible  that  five  years  have  nearly  elapsed  since 
Dr.  Talmage  assumed  editorial  charge  of  The  Chris- 
tian Herald.  It  has  been  the  privilege  of  The 
Christian  Herald  and  its  management  during  these 
five  years  of  material  prosperity  to  take  a  more  active 
share  in  the  great  work  of  disseminating  pure  litera- 
ture than  has  probably  ever  before  fallen  to  the  lot 
of  any  religious  newspaper.  The  total  expense  in- 
volved in  five  great  years  of  literary  undertaking  has 
been  $399,000. 

"Charity  has  formed  another  and  hardly  less 
prominent  part  of  The  Christian  Herald's  mission 
in  these  five  years.  As  we  regard  events  in  retro- 
spect, it  seems  to  have  been  divinely  led  into  a  field 
of  philanthropy  so  wide  and  so  far-reaching  as  to 
impress  the  sympathy  and  co-operation  of  its  readers 
in  every  clime.  In  this  special  field  of  charity, 
$120,000  has  been  expended  in  the  aggregate. 

"  In  the  line  of  distinctly  religious  work,  The  Chris- 
tian Herald's  efforts  have  been  signally  blessed.  Its 
expenditures  in  the  various  fields  of  Christian  effort 
altogether  aggregate  a  total  of  $530,000,  or  upward 
of  $105,000  a  year." 

It  was  during  these  five  years  that  Dr.  Klopsch 
was  steadily  working  out  the  plan  described  of 
making  his  paper  the  great  religious  journal  that 
it  has  become,  and  at  the  same  time  the  instrument 
of  the  bounty  of  the  American  people.  The  Christian 
Herald  family  grew  and  spread  until  it  covered  all 
parts  of  the  world  where  the  English  language  is 
read.  The  educational  and  missionary  work  grew 
in  the  same  proportion. 


CHAPTER     II 


RUSSIAN   RELIEF 

PEASANT  LIFE  IN  THE  CZAR's  VAST  DOMAINS  —  DEPENDENCE  ON  THE  CROPS  — 
GREAT  FAMINE  OF  1892  -  STORIES  OF  THE  SUFFERING  -  COUNT  TOLSTOl's 
DESCRIPTION  -  AMERICA  HEARS  THE  HUNGER  CRY  -  "CHRISTIAN  HERALD*' 
CONTRIBUTIONS  TO  THE  "CONEMAUGH"  CARGO  -  DR.  KLOPSCH  DISPATCHES 
THE  "LEO"  WITH  FLOUR  -  DR.  TALMAGE  AND  HE  AS  ADVANCE  AGENTS  - 
THEIR  RECEPTION  IN  ST.  PETERSBURG  -  WARM  WELCOME  TO  THE  RELIEF 
SHIP  —  GRATITUDE  OF  THE  RUSSIAN  PEOPLE  —  AUDIENCE  WITH  THE  CZARE- 
WITCH  AT  PETERHOF  PALACE. 


^  |  "HE  first  of  the  remarkable  chain  of  world- 
wide charities  which  Dr.  Klopsch  under- 

JL  took  was  for  the  relief  of  starving  millions 
of  Russian  peasants. 

The  vast  extent  of  the  Czar's  dominions,  from  the 
frozen  sea  of  the  Arctic  to  the  frozen  sea  of  the 
Pacific,  is  little  understood.  The  area  is  estimated 
at  nearly  nine  million  square  miles  and  the  popula- 
tion at  one  hundred  and  sixty  million  inhabitants. 

In  so  extensive  a  region  there  is  naturally  much 
variety  of  resources,  yet  the  chief  reliance  of  the 
people  is  on  the  soil.  The  mass  of  peasantry  is 
absolutely  dependent  on  the  crops  and  the  conditions 
are  such  that  they  have  little  chance  of  saving  from 
one  season  to  another.  They  are  as  much  of  the 
soil  as  when  they  were  serfs. 

In  the  best  of  conditions  the  lot  of  the  peasants 
is  not  a  comfortable  one,  yet  they  are  peaceful,  hard- 
working, and  make  the  best  of  their  surroundings. 

11 


12  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

A  description  of  Russian  peasants  at  home  by  an 
American  writer,  Mrs.  Isabel  F.  Hapgood,  gives  a 
graphic  idea  of  their  manner  of  existence. 

Mrs.  Hapgood  wrote:  "We  visited  the  peasants 
in  their  cottages.  The  rope  and  moss-plugged  log 
house  stood  flat  on  the  ground,  and  was  thatched 
with  straw  which  was  secured  by  a  ladder-like 
arrangement  of  poles  along  the  gable  ends.  Three 
tiny  windows,  with  tinier  panes,  relieved  the  street 
front  of  the  house.  The  entrance  was  on  the  side, 
from  the  small  farmyard  littered  with  farm  imple- 
ments, chickens,  and  manure,  and  enclosed  with  the 
usual  fence  of  wattled  branches.  From  the  small 
ante-room,  designed  to  keep  out  the  winter's  cold, 
the  storeroom  opened  at  the  rear  and  the  living- 
room  at  the  front. 

"The  lefthand  corner  of  the  living-room  as  one 
entered  was  occupied  by  the  oven  made  of  stones 
and  clay  and  whitewashed.  In  it  the  cooking  was 
done  by  placing  the  pots  among  the  glowing  wood 
coals.  The  bread  was  baked  when  the  coals  had 
been  raked  out.  Later  still,  when  desired,  the 
owners  took  their  steam  bath,  more  resembling  a 
roasting,  inside  it,  and  the  old  people  kept  their 
aged  bones  warm  by  sleeping  on  top  of  it  close  to  the 
low  ceiling.  Around  three  sides  of  the  room  ran  a 
broad  bench  which  served  for  furniture  and  beds. 
In  the  righthand  corner,  opposite  the  door,  the  great 
corner  of  honor,  was  the  case  of  images,  in  front  of 
which  stood  the  rough  table  whereon  meals  were 
eaten.  This  was  convenient,  since  the  images  were 
saluted  at  the  beginning  and  end  of  meals  with  the 


RUSSIAN  RELIEF  13 

sign  of  the  cross  and  a  murmured  prayer.  The  case 
also  contained  the  sacred  pictures  of  the  home." 

Like  every  crop  country  Russia  experiences  peri- 
ods of  plenty,  when  it  ships  enormous  quantities  of 
grain  to  other  countries.  Then  sometimes  come  the 
periods  of  short  crops,  when  the  richest  districts  do 
not  supply  enough  for  themselves.  Such  a  time  came 
in  the  winter  of  1891-1892. 

The  richest  agricultural  region  in  the  great  Empire 
is  the  basin  of  the  Volga.  This  is  equal  in  extent 
and  in  productivity  to  our  own  Mississippi  Valley. 
Repeated  droughts  and  the  pest  of  insects  caused 
a  complete  crop  failure  in  the  Volga  Basin  and 
in  other  districts  extending  over  sixteen  provinces. 
Fully  twenty  million  cultivators  of  the  soil  were 
affected.  It  was  known  that  the  crops  in  Russia 
were  short,  yet  for  months  the  outside  world  had 
little  conception  of  the  suffering  or  of  the  need  of 
relief.  The  districts  were  so  remote,  and  so  little 
was  known  of  the  great  interior  of  the  Czar's  domin- 
ions, that  at  first  it  was  regarded  only  as  an  ordinary 
crop  failure.  Gradually  something  became  known 
of  the  extent  of  the  suffering. 

Reports  were  received  of  famine  refugees  filling  the 
big  cities  of  Moscow  and  St.  Petersburg.  Something 
was  also  learned  of  the  vigorous  measures  of  the 
Russian  government  and  accounts  were  received  of 
the  relief  trains  which  were  daily  dispatched.  Then 
word  began  to  come  from  those  who  had  gone  among 
the  peasantry  and  who  were  writing  of  what  they 
saw.  Here  is  a  striking  picture  given  by  a  correspon- 
dent of  his  visit  with  a  member  of  a  local  branch  of 


14  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

the  Red  Cross  Society  in  the  province  of  Rexan  to  a 
distressed  family : 

Attended  by  the  elders  of  the  place  we  went  into  the  first 
miserable  hut  of  the  wretched  little  row  that  constituted  the 
street.  My  friend  entered  unceremoniously  and  roughly  with- 
out knocking  or  calling.  A  kind  of  vapor  poured  out  of  the 
open  door,  and  on  entering  I  descried  through  the  thick  atmos- 
phere several  human  beings  whose  appearance  and  attitude 
filled  me  with  horror.  In  the  background  stood  a  wrinkled 
hag,  a  handkerchief  around  her  head.  The  rest  of  her  costume, 
consisting  of  a  short  petticoat  and  leggings,  was  squalid  and 
wretched  to  the  last  degree.  To  the  right  was  an  immense 
stove  and  over  this  a  broad  shelf,  on  which  several  frightened 
children  were  huddled  together.  They  looked  dirty  and 
savage  beyond  description.  There  was  no  floor.  We  were 
standing  upon  the  bare  ground.  The  hut  was  about  twenty 
feet  square  by  ten  feet  high.  A  table  and  two  benches  were 
the  only  furniture  the  hut  could  boast  of,  and  they  were  black 
with  age  and  dirt. 

Running  from  the  door  to  the  stove  was  a  beam  or  rafter 
and  on  this  were  a  few  wretched  dishes  and  cooking  utensils. 
A  fearful  stench  pervaded  the  hut.  Cap  in  hand,  with  trembling 
knees,  haggard  cheeks  and  hollow  eyes,  stood  the  owner,  who 
bade  us  welcome  with  a  cringing  humility  and  a  look  of  mingled 
cunning  and  fear.  Besides  the  old  peasant  and  his  wife  there 
were  two  young  men  and  their  wives.  I  realized  that  three 
generations  camped  on  that  shelf  over  the  stove.  My  guide 
looked  around  restlessly  and  insolently,  his  cap  on  his  head, 
while  the  peasants  stood  uncovered. 

"What  bread  have  you?"  he  said.     "Show  us  your  bread." 

"We  have  no  bread.  We  have  had  nothing  to  eat  for  three 
days,"  they  all  sang  in  a  sort  of  chorus. 

"Nonsense;  you  have  some  bread." 

"Not  a  morsel." 

They  looked  as  though  they  had  not  eaten  anything  for 
weeks,  not  days.  We  left  their  wretched  hovel  and  entered 


RUSSIAN  RELIEF  15 

their  storeroom  opposite  the  entrance  and  occupying  the  other 
side  of  the  hut.  Here  were  a  few  empty  boxes,  nothing  else. 
We  went  to  the  next  barn  and  cattle  sheds.  The  barn  was 
empty  and  bare.  The  roof  had  been  taken  down  for  fuel. 
Some  of  the  neighbors  had  nothing  but  the  skeletons  of  then- 
barns  left,  and  several  had  begun  to  consume  the  roofs  of  their 
huts.  The  cattle  sheds  were  also  empty.  The  livestock  of 
the  village  had  been  reduced  to  a  single  famished-looking  sheep 
and  a  horse  that  was  only  a  bag  of  bones. 

The  same  picture  was  presented  a  million  times 
over  throughout  the  Volga  Basin  and  the  other 
famine-stricken  provinces.  Yet  the  cry  for  bread 
was  not  loud.  The  peasants  could  only  wait.  They 
did  not  know  how  to  make  their  distress  known. 

Finally  the  people  of  the  United  States  began  to 
realize  the  condition  of  the  Russian  peasantry. 
When  they  realized  it  relief  movements  were  started. 
The  cry  for  bread  was  met  by  providing  cargoes  of 
grain  and  flour.  One  of  the  earliest  of  these  cargoes 
was  that  of  the  steamer  Indiana,  which  carried 
succor  to  the  Black  Sea  port  of  Libau.  Its  officers 
brought  back  reports  of  the  need  for  further  and 
continued  succor  and  of  the  gratitude  of  the  Russian 
people.  The  state  of  Minnesota  sent  a  cargo  of 
flour  on  the  steamer  Missouri.  The  same  reports 
came  back  of  the  need  of  further  relief  and  of  the 
gratitude  with  which  the  aid  was  received.  The 
citizens  of  Philadelphia  chartered  the  steamer  Cone- 
maugh,  and  undertook  to  send  a  cargo  of  flour  to 
Riga. 

Dr.  Klopsch  had  heard  the  cry  for  bread.  With- 
out delay  he  answered  it.  He  asked  on  behalf  of 
the  readers  of  The  Christian  Herald  permission  to 


16  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

send  a  few  hundred  sacks  of  flour,  which  was  granted. 
Thereupon  he  made  public  appeal  through  the  paper. 
His  practical  mind  grasped  the  situation.  He  figured 
that  at  the  prices  then  prevailing  a  barrel  of  sound, 
wholesome  flour,  weighing  190  pounds,  could  be 
bought  for  $3.50;  that  $10.00  would  purchase  nearly 
three  barrels,  the  equivalent  of  570  five-cent  loaves 
of  bread.  Dr.  Klopsch  and  his  associates  made  the 
first  contributions.  Then  the  gifts  began  to  flow  in 
with  steadily  increasing  volume,  and  some  5000  sacks 
of  flour  were  loaded  on  the  Conemaugh. 

When  the  steamers  were  ready  to  sail  ceremo- 
nies were  held  at  the  pier  and  the  Rev.  T.  DeWitt 
Talmage  invoked  divine  blessing  upon  The  Christian 
Herald's  gift  of  flour  to  Russia.  Dr.  Klopsch  pre- 
sided. Dr.  Talmage  in  the  course  of  his  address 
said: 

"  There  is  no  sadder  sound  on  earth  than  a  nation's 
cry  for  bread.  Such  a  cry  came  up  when  Hamilcar 
besieged  Utica  and  Titus  besieged  Jerusalem  and 
the  Assyrians  besieged  Samaria  and  the  Spaniards 
besieged  Leyden,  and  from  other  besieged  cities  where 
men  gnawed  the  left  arm  in  hunger  while  with  the 
right  arm  they  fought.  But  now,  in  time  of  peace, 
from  that  Russia  which  has  been  one  of  the  richest 
wheat  fields  of  all  the  earth  comes  the  groan  of 
nearly  twenty  million  people  dying  for  lack  of  food. 
Famine  is  a  monster  which  has  at  some  time  put  its 
paw  upon  almost  every  nation,  with  hot  tongue  lap- 
ping up  the  feverish  blood  of  the  starving.  Through 
a  merciful  Providence  the  most  of  us  have  been  kept 
from  hearing  in  our  households  the  unavailing  cry 


RUSSIAN  RELIEF  17 

for  food.  No  parent's  heart  is  stout  enough  calmly 
to  hear  a  cry  like  that. 

"In  a  land  of  ripe  orchards  and  golden  harvests 
it  is  an  awful  thing  to  starve.  What  a  blessing  that 
this  Russian  appeal  comes  at  a  time  when  our  barns 
are  full  of  wheat  and  our  cribs  are  full  of  corn!  We 
assemble  here  today  to  start  the  first  installment  of 
a  million  pounds  of  flour  contributed  from  all  parts  of 
the  land,  through  the  hand  of  The  Christian  Herald 
which  has  been  pleading  this  cause.  Look  off  upon 
yonder  sacks  of  flour!  What  do  they  mean?  They 
mean  life  for  a  great  multitude.  They  mean  chil- 
dren given  back  to  their  parents  and  parents  given 
back  to  their  children.  They  mean  sunshine  for 
eyes  that  are  closing  in  darkness.  They  mean  new 
pulsation  to  hearts  that  are  ceasing  to  beat.  They 
mean  prospered  American  homes  giving  salutation 
to  agonized  Russian  homes.  They  mean  the  prayer 
of  lips  that  are  too  weak  to  do  more  than  whisper, 
answered  from  the  throne  of  God,  by  the  wave  of 
American  sympathy.  They  mean  resurrection. 

"O  Thou  who  didst  walk  the  Sea  of  Galilee  when 
Thy  disciples  sailed,  walk  beside  the  Conemaugh  as 
it  shall  plow  the  deep  carrying  this  mercy  from  a 
prospered  nation  to  an  afflicted  land.  O  Thou  who 
holdest  the  wind  in  Thy  fist,  let  no  hurricane  whelm 
this  treasure.  May  the  angels  of  Thy  protection 
hover  over  the  bread  wagons.  May  the  relief  which 
is  sent  today  be  multiplied  until  upon  all  America 
and  all  Europe  may  come  the  blessing  of  Him  who 
said,  *I  was  an  hungered  and  ye  fed  me." 

The  Conemaugh  with  the  first  Christian  Herald 


18  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

fund  shipment  on  board  duly  reached  Riga  and  was 
welcomed  by  the  Russian  people  as  the  harbinger 
of  further  relief.  The  cargo  was  found  in  perfect 
condition.  A  number  of  Russian  officials  and  promi- 
nent citizens  of  Riga  visited  the  steamer  at  her 
wharf  and  expressed  the  warmest  gratitude  of  the 
Russian  people  for  the  gift  from  America  to  their 
suffering  fellow-countrymen. 

In  the  meantime  further  details  of  the  famine 
conditions  were  received  in  the  United  States.  Mr. 
W.  C.  Edgar,  a  public-spirited  citizen  of  Minnesota 
who  had  gone  out  with  the  cargo  of  flour  sent  by  the 
citizens  of  that  state,  gave  an  interesting  account 
of  his  own  observations  and  of  the  need  of  further 
aid.  He  brought  back  with  him  some  loaves  of 
Russian  "hunger  bread"  on  which  the  peasants  in 
many  of  the  afflicted  provinces  were  subsisting.  It 
had  the  appearance  of  a  mixture  of  earth,  straw, 
stable  refuse,  dry  bran,  and  a  very  small  modicum 
of  bran  sweepings.  When  baked  it  presented  a  sur- 
face so  hard  as  almost  to  turn  the  point  of  a  knife. 
It  was  stringy  and  porous,  with  the  color  of  dried 
and  blackened  turf,  and  had  the  pungent  odor  of 
dog  feed  or  tobacco.  Upon  this  compound  hun- 
dreds of  thousands  were  subsisting.  It  was  the 
bread  of  want  and  bitterness  and  despair,  yet  it  was 
being  fed  daily  to  sick  women  and  to  tender  children 
as  their  only  nourishment. 

About  the  same  time  an  account  was  received  of 
the  relief  work  which  Count  Leo  Tolstoi,  the  famous 
author  and  philanthropist,  had  organized.  Count 
Tolstoi  himself  described  the  manner  of  giving 


RUSSIAN  RELIEF  1» 

relief  and  the  conditions  which  were  met.  He 
wrote: 

"The  village  of  Petrovka  may  be  said  to  be  the 
center  of  the  famine  region.  It  is  situated  some  50 
miles  from  the  nearest  railway  station.  Towards 
dusk,  after  12  hours  sleighing,  I  arrived  here  and 
proceeded  to  the  house  of  Count  Lyeff  Tolstoi,  my 
son.  On  the  following  morning  I  proceeded  with  my 
son  on  a  tour  of  inspection  through  the  neighboring 
villages.  We  visited  three,  where  I  saw  more  misery 
than  I  have  seen  in  any  other  district.  We  visited 
also  one  of  the  enormous  free  tables  established  by 
my  son  on  the  plan  of  those  instituted  by  myself. 

"The  place  was  crowded  with  about  fifty  ema- 
ciated, sickly  creatures  —  more  like  living  skeletons 
than  sturdy  peasants,  as  the  majority  of  them  were 
before  the  famine  came.  On  leaving  this  place  a 
poor  woman  came  up  to  our  sledge  and  beseeched 
us  with  tears  in  her  eyes  to  come  to  her  cottage,  as 
her  husband  and  father  were  dying.  We  went  to 
the  cottage  and  found  in  the  dimly  lighted  room  two 
men  who  were  manifestly  in  extremis.  The  husband, 
who  a  few  months  ago  had  been  a  fine,  powerful 
moujik  with  long  beard  and  curly  hair,  was  in  a  high 
fever;  and  in  a  dark  corner  at  his  feet  lay  another 
ghastly  figure  stretched  out  and  doubled  up  with 
pain  and  suffering.  This  was  the  father,  a  grey- 
bearded  old  man,  also  dying. 

"On  leaving  this  house  of  death  we  were  stopped 
by  a  peasant,  who  appealed  to  my  companion  for 
help  and  who  informed  us  that  both  his  father  and 
mother  had  just  died  of  starvation. 


20  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

"The  next  house  we  visited  was  a  cottage  inhabited 
by  a  dying  woman  with  her  son  and  three  children. 
The  owner  of  this  wretched  place  was  lying  on  a 
plank  bed  covered  with  a  ragged  quilt,  while  her  two 
children  were  feebly  playing  around  her.  She  had 
given  all  her  extra  food  to  them.  And  these  cases 
were  no  exceptions,  but  were  typical  of  many  others. 
In  almost  every  second  house  we  visited  half  if  not 
all  of  the  inmates  were  laid  up  with  typhus,  influ- 
enza, or  intestinal  complaints  caused  by  insufficient 
nourishment  and  exposure  to  the  cold.  Their  deplor- 
able condition,  too,  is  intensified  by  the  complete 
absence  of  either  doctors  or  medicaments  for  the 
sick.  In  this  district,  indeed,  with  its  population  of 
eighty  thousand,  there  is  only  one  doctor,  and 
probably  half  of  those  who  die  might  be  saved  with 
proper  medical  attention." 

The  appeal  of  stories  of  suffering  such  as  this  to 
Dr.  Klopsch's  charitable  impulses  was  irresistible. 
After  the  Conemaugh  had  speeded  on  her  mission 
of  mercy,  contributions  continued  to  come  in.  The 
vast  majority  of  these  were  of  small  sums,  many 
being  for  a  dollar,  some  for  a  half  dollar,  some  for 
a  quarter,  and  some  even  for  a  nickel.  A  penny 
contribution  would  not  be  rejected.  Dr.  Klopsch 
knew  that  these  contributions  came  from  the  heart. 
He  knew  that  it  was  the  aggregate  of  the  small  sums 
that  must  be  depended  on  in  every  great  demand. 
There  were  also  many  liberal  contributions,  and 
these  were  acknowledged  with  gratitude;  and  others 
who  out  of  their  means  were  able  to  give  liberally 
were  encouraged  to  do  it.  But,  large  or  small, 


RUSSIAN  RELIEF  21 

it  was  evident  that  the  relief  movement  had  taken 
deep  hold  on  the  constituency  which  now  looked 
to  The  Christian  Herald  for  guidance  and  direc- 
tion. 

Dr.  Klopsch  did  not  have  a  moment's  hesitation. 
When  the  twenty-thousand-dollar  mark  was  reached 
he  decided  to  send  a  steamer-load  of  food  on  his  own 
account.  He  chartered  the  steamer  Leo  for  $10,000, 
reduced  the  charter  price  by  selling  the  deck  privileges 
to  a  lumber  company  for  $2,500,  and  began  to  load 
and  buy  flour.  He  bought  through  the  New  York 
Chamber  of  Commerce  and  the  Chicago  Board  of 
Trade,  and  in  a  remarkably  short  time  he  had  17,000 
sacks  of  good  American  flour  beneath  the  Leo's 
hatches,  besides  a  goodly  supply  of  medicines  and 
delicacies  for  the  sick.  Some  of  the  flour  mills  of  the 
Northwest  contributed  directly. 

It  was  in  June,  1892,  when  the  Leo  lay  at  the  dock 
with  her  complete  cargo,  amounting  to  about  two 
and  three-fourths  million  pounds  of  flour,  and  the 
delicacies  and  medicines.  When  the  contribution 
of  280,000  pounds  was  shipped  aboard  the  Cone- 
maugh  and  it  was  apparent  that  there  would  be 
further  contributions,  Dr.  Klopsch  had  said  he  would 
raise  a  million  pounds.  Then  he  increased  the 
figures  to  two  million  pounds.  But  in  all,  as  it 
developed,  there  were  nearly  three  million  pounds 
shipped  for  the  starving  Russian  people. 

When  the  Leo's  cargo  was  ready,  Dr.  Klopsch 
decided  that  he  would  himself  proceed  to  Russia 
to  see  to  the  distribution  and  to  determine  whether 
further  help  would  be  necessary  from  the  American 


22  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

people.  Accompanied  by  Mrs.  Klopsch  and  the 
Rev.  T.  DeWitt  Talmage,  he  set  sail. 

The  Leo's  cargo  was  consigned  to  the  American 
Consul-General  at  St.  Petersburg.  Dr.  Klopsch 
and  Dr.  Talmage  reached  there  before  the  arrival 
of  the  steamer,  and  arranged  the  details  for  the 
distribution  of  the  food.  When  the  Leo  arrived 
everything  was  in  readiness.  The  Mayor  and  mili- 
tary authorities  of  the  Russian  capital  prepared  a 
splendid  reception  for  their  American  guests.  Every- 
where were  flags  floating,  and  bunting.  The  Stars 
and  Stripes  were  raised  at  the  United  States  Legation 
and  Consulate,  and  the  Russian  and  American  flags 
fluttered  on  the  public  buildings.  Even  the  street 
cars  were  decorated  in  this  manner. 

The  Leo  was  officially  welcomed  on  Thursday 
morning,  July  14th,  with  every  possible  manifesta- 
tion of  popular  enthusiasm.  The  evening  before  news 
had  been  received  from  Kronstadt  that  the  relief 
ship  had  passed  that  point  on  its  way  to  St.  Peters- 
burg, and  official  invitations  signed  by  the  Mayor 
were  hastily  dispatched  in  different  directions  re- 
questing the  presence  of  the  recipients  the  following 
morning  on  board  the  harbor  police  boat  St.  Peters- 
burg, for  the  purpose  of  welcoming  the  American 
relief  ship.  A  tremendous  crowd  had  gathered  at 
the  quay  ready  to  greet  the  American  guests.  As 
the  carriage  drove  up  with  Dr.  Klopsch  and  Mrs. 
Klopsch  and  Dr.  Talmage,  the  cheers  went  up  from 
thousands  of  powerful  Russian  throats,  and  these 
were  continued  as  the  St.  Petersburg  steamed  out 
on  her  way  to  meet  the  Leo.  On  board,  besides 


RUSSIAN  RELIEF  23 

the  guests  of  the  occasion,  were  various  officials, 
including  the  American  Consul-General  and  the 
Charge  d' Affaires.  An  hour's  sail  brought  in  sight 
the  majestic  Leo  clad  in  festal  array  with  flying  colors 
from  topmast  to  deck. 

In  the  afternoon  the  party  returned  to  the  quay. 
Just  as  the  steamer  was  about  to  drop  anchor,  along- 
side the  dock  and  parallel  to  the  river,  one  hundred 
freight  cars,  elaborately  festooned  and  each  decorated 
with  a  Russian  and  an  American  flag,  stood  ready 
to  receive  the  flour.  The  anchor  once  cast,  all  was 
bustle  and  excitement.  From  thousands  of  throats 
rang  out  the  loud  huzzas.  Hats,  handkerchiefs,  and 
flags  were  waving  in  the  air  with  rapid  motion,  and 
shrill  steamboat  whistles  vainly  contended  with  the 
great  volume  of  human  voices  for  supremacy. 

When  the  gangplank  was  adjusted  Captain  Caines 
of  the  Leo  came  ashore.  He  was  immediately  sur- 
rounded by  the  town  council  and  others,  all  in 
full  dress  and  wearing  their  badges  of  office.  The 
marshal  of  nobility,  Count  Vsevolovshky,  took  an 
elevated  stand  on  the  plank  and  addressing  the  Cap- 
tain in  English  congratulated  him  on  having  safely 
made  the  journey  with  a  ship  laden  with  the  tokens 
of  sympathy  and  love  from  a  distant  nation.  Then 
Mayor  Prokofiero  mounted  the  platform  bearing  in 
his  hands  a  handsomely  finished  oaken  box.  He 
said:  "Gentlemen,  the  city  of  St.  Petersburg  greets 
you  and  congratulates  you  on  your  safe  arrival  with 
the  cargo  presented  by  the  generous  readers  of  The 
Christian  Herald  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  Russian 
districts  now  suffering  from  the  failure  of  last  year's 


24  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

harvest.  Gratitude  for  the  contributions  of  the 
Americans  will  set  an  indelible  stamp  on  the  hearts 
of  all  Russians,  and  will  unite  together  two  great 
nations  in  the  bonds  of  mutual  esteem  and  friend- 
ship. The  city  of  St.  Petersburg,  the  capital  of  all 
Russia,  begs  of  you  to  accept  these  trifles  in  memory 
of  this  day." 

When  these  remarks  were  finished  the  Mayor 
opened  the  case  and,  displaying  a  beautiful  speaking 
trumpet,  handed  it  to  Captain  Caines  and  at  the 
same  time  handed  to  the  first  mate  a  magnificent, 
silver,  gold-lined,  old-fashioned  drinking  cup.  The 
Captain  and  the  mate  were  sailors  and  not  used  to 
making  speeches  in  public.  They  were  too  confused 
to  reply,  but  Dr.  Talmage  came  to  their  rescue  and 
made  a  brief  speech  for  them. 

After  these  ceremonies  most  of  the  crowd  dis- 
persed, but  Dr.  Klopsch  and  Count  Andre  Bo- 
brinskoy,  the  representative  of  the  Russian  Relief 
Committee,  remained  and  saw  a  portion  of  the 
cargo  dispatched  for  the  interior  the  very  evening 
of  the  day  of  arrival.  It  proved  much  more  con- 
venient to  dispatch  the  cargo  from  St.  Petersburg 
than  it  would  have  been  from  Riga,  since  the  locali- 
ties most  in  need  were  thus  most  easily  reached. 

The  American  visitors,  including  Mrs.  Klopsch, 
were  honored  with  an  official  reception  by  the  town 
council,  which  was  held  in  the  halls  of  the  Duma. 
Many  distinguished  Russians  were  present.  An  ad- 
dress of  thanks  was  read  by  Mayor  Prokofiero,  who 
presided.  Among  other  things  this  address  said: 

"The  Russian  nation  knows  how  to  be  grateful. 


RUSSIAN  RELIEF  25 

If  hitherto  during  the  whole  period  of  the  existence 
of  the  United  States  two  such  great  nations  as  the 
Russian  and  the  American  have  not  only  never  been 
at  enmity,  but  on  the  contrary  have  always  sincerely 
wished  each  other  power  and  all  prosperity,  then 
these  feelings  of  mutual  sympathy  can  only  increase 
with  the  consciousness  that  these  two  great  nations 
will  find  in  each  other  cordial,  disinterested,  and 
sincere  support  and  assistance  in  the  hour  of  calam- 
ity. And  when  is  true  friendship  to  be  known  if 
not  in  the  hour  of  misfortune? 

"Allow  us,  therefore,  Reverend  Sirs,  as  the  repre- 
sentatives of  the  city  of  St.  Petersburg,  to  express 
through  you  our  deep  gratitude  to  the  transatlantic 
friends  of  the  Russian  people  as  well  as  our  good 
wishes  for  the  continuance  of  the  prosperity,  power, 
freedom,  and  indissolubility  of  the  United  States  of 
North  America,  and  for  the  strengthening  of  the  bond 
of  sympathy  between  Russia  and  America." 

Dr.  Talmage  responded  to  the  address,  and  Dr. 
Klopsch  also  made  a  short  speech.  Then  the  party 
proceeded  to  Moscow  to  further  superintend  the 
distribution  of  the  food.  At  Moscow  the  Mayor 
and  the  Prefect  were  equally  cordial  in  their  atten- 
tions to  the  Americans  and  in  aiding  the  work.  The 
gratitude  of  the  Russian  people,  officials  and  plain 
citizens  alike,  was  universal  and  irrepressible,  ap- 
pearing in  many  forms.  Invitations  were  showered 
upon  them  everywhere  and  the  generous  hospitality 
was  overpowering.  When  they  were  leaving  Mos- 
cow the  Mayor,  in  explanation  of  the  extraordinary 
attention  they  had  received,  declared  that  were  they 


26  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

to  visit  the  remotest  village  in  Russia  they  would 
meet  with  the  same  cordial  reception;  that  it  was 
the  manner  his  countrymen  had  of  expressing  their 
gratitude  for  the  sympathy  and  generosity  of  Ameri- 
cans to  the  Russian  peasants. 

Everywhere  it  was  the  same.  Wherever  the  trav- 
elers stopped  they  encountered  the  glad  welcome,  if 
not  always  in  words  then  in  other  forms,  that  gave 
expression  to  what  the  hearts  felt  but  the  strange 
tongues  could  not  utter.  The  story  of  the  Leo,  her 
mission,  and  the  Christian  love  and  charity  of  those 
who  sent  her  were  on  every  Russian's  lips  and 
became  household  words  by  Russian  hearths.  The 
famine  too,  fortunately,  was  ending  and  in  a  few 
months  the  harvests  were  normal  and  the  Russian 
peasantry  were  able  to  provide  for  themselves  out  of 
the  products  of  the  soil  which  they  tilled. 

An  incident  of  Dr.  Klopsch's  visit  to  Russia  in  con- 
nection with  the  relief  work  which  gave  him  much 
pleasure  was  the  imperial  invitation  summoning 
him  and  Dr.  Talmage  to  the  Imperial  Palace  at 
Peterhof  for  an  audience.  Peterhof  is  on  the  Gulf 
of  Finland  a  few  miles  from  the  capital.  On  arriv- 
ing at  the  wharf  they  entered  the  court  carriage  that 
stood  in  waiting  for  them  and,  accompanied  by  an 
escort,  proceeded  to  the  palace.  This  is  a  two-story 
yellow  building  and  is  situated  on  high  ground  over- 
looking beautiful  gardens  and  groves.  Fountains 
throw  their  sparkling  columns  of  spray  far  in  the  air, 
and  the  variety  of  flowering  plants  is  equal  to  that 
of  any  garden  in  Europe.  The  grounds  are  laid  out 
after  the  fashion  of  the  famous  gardens  at  Versailles, 


RUSSIAN  RELIEF  27 

with  miniature  lakes,  statuary,  and  water  scenes. 
Peterhof  is  very  attractive  from  its  romantic  sur- 
roundings and  the  art  treasures  it  contains.  In  one 
room  there  are  860  historic  portraits  of  beautiful 
women  painted  during  the  reign  of  the  Empress 
Catherine  II.  It  also  contains  a  room  used  by  Peter 
the  Great  as  a  study. 

Cossack  guards  in  dark  uniforms,  and  high  Russian 
officials,  were  encountered  on  the  way.  Count  Bo- 
brinskoy  introduced  them  to  the  Czarevitch,  that  is, 
the  Crown  Prince,  who  was  the  only  representative 
of  royalty  in  Russia  at  that  time.  They  received  a 
most  cordial  greeting  and  expressions  of  the  gratitude 
and  affection  which  Russia  felt  towards  the  United 
States.  The  Prince  asked  them  to  bear  to  the 
American  people  Russia's  thanks  for  the  aid  it  had 
received  in  time  of  need.  He  assured  them  that 
these  noble  actions  were  ever  to  be  remembered. 
Subsequently,  when  he  became  Emperor  of  all  Rus- 
sia as  Czar  Nicholas,  he  recalled  the  services  of 
Dr.  Klopsch,  and  in  cooperating  in  other  relief  move- 
ments expressed  the  satisfaction  he  felt  at  knowing 
their  dispenser  of  world  charities  and  his  methods. 
Dr.  Klopsch  on  his  part  always  recalled  the  pleas- 
ant impression  made  on  him  by  the  Czarevitch. 


CHAPTER    III 

ARMENIA,   THE  MARTYR  NATION 

DESCRIPTION  OF  THIS  PABT  OF  WESTERN  ASIA  —  AMBASSADOR  BRTCE*S  ACCOUNT 

OF  MT.  ARARAT HISTORIC  CHURCH A  PERSECUTED  PEOPLE MASSACRES 

OF  1894-95  —  DR.  HAMLIN'S  APPEAL  —  ATROCITIES  AT  TREBIZOND  —  MISS 
KIHBALL'S  STORY  OF  VAN  —  "CHRISTIAN  HERALD"  RELIEF  STATIONS  —  HISS 
SHATTUCK  AT  OORFA HEROIC  ZEITOUNLI8 MISSIONARY  ACKNOWLEDG- 
MENTS   THRILLING  INCIDENTS CARE  FOR  THE  ORPHANS MURDER  AND 

PILLAGE  AT  ADANA  IN  1909  —  DR.  tfLOPSCH  EXTENDS  AID  TO  THE  SURVIVORS. 

ARMENIA  has  been  well  called  the  martyr 
nation.  Though  it  is  not  now  a  nation  in 
«<  the  geographical  or  political  sense,  its  peo- 
ple have  preserved  their  individuality,  their  racial 
unity,  and  everything  that  goes  to  make  a  nation- 
ality, for  more  than  2,000  years.  They  have  also 
preserved  many  of  the  traits  of  their  ancestors. 

The  region  in  Western  Asia  generally  known  as 
Armenia  lies  between  the  Black  and  the  Caspian 
Seas  and  is  of  a  mountainous  character,  comprising 
an  area  of  120,000  square  miles.  Ancient  Armenia, 
as  it  was  territorially  understood,  extended  from  the 
Tigris  and  the  Euphrates  to  the  southern  shores  of 
the  Black  Sea.  In  the  course  of  centuries  it  has 
fallen  to  Turkey,  Persia,  and  Russia.  Most  of  what 
is  known  as  Modern  Armenia  is  a  part  of  Turkey- 
in-Asia. 

The  region  known  as  Armenia  was  the  first  part  of 
the  globe  to  be  settled  by  the  human  race  after  the 

28 


ARMENIA.  THE  MARTYR  NATION  29 

flood  and  Mt.  Ararat,  where  the  Ark  rested,  still  rears 
its  lofty  crest  17,000  feet  in  height  and  overlooks 
the  same  landscape  of  valley,  plain,  and  mountain 
that  greeted  the  eyes  of  Noah  and  his  companions 
when  they  gazed  upon  the  new  risen  earth  after  the 
subsidence  of  the  Deluge.  The  eminent  British 
statesman  and  scholar,  James  Bryce,  Ambassador 
at  Washington,  who  ascended  Mt.  Ararat,  in  one  of 
his  books  gives  this  account: 

"The  only  topographical  reference  in  the  Scrip- 
ture narrative  of  the  flood  is  to  be  found  in  the 
words,  Genesis,  8:4,  'In  the  7th  month,  on  the  17th 
day  of  the  month,  the  ark  rested  upon  the  moun- 
tains of  Ararat,'  which  may  be  taken  as  equivalent 
to  'on  a  mountain  of  (or  in)  Ararat.' 

"The  word  Ararat  is  used  in  three  or  rather  in 
two  other  places  in  the  Scriptures.  One  is  in 
II  Kings,  19:37,  and  the  parallel  passage  in  Isaiah 
37:38,  where  it  is  said  of  the  sons  of  Sennacherib, 
who  had  just  murdered  their  father,  that  they 
escaped  into  the  land  of  Ararat,  rendered  in  our 
version  and  in  the  Septuagint,  *  Armenia.'  The 
other  is  in  Jeremiah,  51:27,  'all  together  against  her 
(i.e.,  Babylon)  the  kingdoms  of  Ararat,  Minni  and 
Ashchenaz.'  The  question  then  is,  what  does  this 
Ararat  denote?  Clearly  the  Alexandrian  translators 
took  it  for  Armenia;  so  does  the  Vulgate  when  it 
renders  in  Genesis,  8:4,  the  words  which  we  trans- 
late, 'On  the  mountains  of  Ararat'  by  'super  montes 
Armeniae.'  This  narrows  it  a  little  and  St.  Jerome 
himself  helps  us  to  narrow  it  still  further  when,  in 
his  commentary  on  Isaiah,  37:38,  he  says  that 
'Ararat  means  the  plain  of  the  middle  Araxes,  which 
lies  at  the  foot  of  the  great  mountain  Taurus.' 

"The  identification,  therefore,  is  natural  enough; 


30  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

what  is  of  more  consequence  is  to  determine  how 
early  it  took  place;  for  as  there  is  little  or  no  trace  of 
an  independent  local  tradition  of  the  flood,  we  may 
assume  the  identification  to  rest  entirely  on  the  use 
of  the  name  Ararat  in  the  Hebrew  narrative. 
Josephus  (Ant.  Jud.,  bk.  1,  ch.  3)  says  that  the 
Armenians  called  the  place  where  Noah  descended 
'the  disembarking  place,  for  the  ark  being  saved 
in  that  place,  its  remains  are  shown  there  by  the 
inhabitants  to  this  day/  and  also  quotes  Nicholas  of 
Damascus,  who  writes  that  'In  Armenia,  above 
Minyas,  there  is  a  great  mountain  called  Baras,  upon 
which  it  is  said  that  many  who  escaped  at  the  time 
of  the  flood  were  saved,  and  that  one  who  was  car- 
ried in  an  ark  came  ashore  on  top  of  it,  and  that 
the  remains  of  the  wood  were  preserved  for  a  long 
while.  This  might  be  the  man  about  whom  Moses, 
the  lawgiver  of  the  Jews,  wrote.' 

"Marco  Polo,  whose  route  does  not  seem  to  have 
led  him  near  it,  says  only,  in  speaking  of  Armenia: 
'Here  is  an  exceedingly  great  mountain,  on  which  it 
is  said  the  Ark  of  Noah  rested,  and  for  this  cause  it 
is  called  the  mountain  of  the  Ark  of  Noah.  The 
circuit  of  its  base  cannot  be  traversed  in  less  than 
two  days;  and  the  ascent  is  rendered  impossible  by 
the  snow  on  its  summit,  which  never  dissolves,  but 
is  increased  by  each  successive  fall.  On  the  lower 
declivities  the  melted  snows  cause  an  abundant 
vegetation,  and  afford  rich  pastures  for  the  cattle, 
which  in  summer  resort  thither  from  all  the  sur- 
rounding countries.' ' 

Legendary  history  makes  Haik,  the  great-grandson 
of  Noah,  the  first  Armenian  monarch.  After  that 
the  country  was  semi-independent,  then  subject  to 
Assyria,  and  then  came  under  the  Roman  conquest. 
It  was  once  part  of  the  Greek  Empire,  and  once  a 


ARMENIA,  THE  MARTYR  NATION  31 

Persian  province.  It  was  also  part  of  the  Empire 
of  Ghengis  Khan  and  Tamerlane.  After  the  six- 
teenth century  it  was  shared  by  Turks  and  Persians. 
In  1828  a  strip  of  the  Armenian  territory  was  con- 
quered by  Russia,  and  this  was  increased  by  the 
Berlin  Treaty  of  1878. 

It  is  chiefly  of  the  Armenia  that  is  under  Turkish 
dominion  that  modern  history  is  written.  There 
are  said  to  be  4,000,000  Armenians,  of  whom  one- 
half  are  scattered  over  Western  Asia.  The  inhab- 
itants are  chiefly  of  the  genuine  Armenian  stock, 
though  in  the  course  of  time  there  has  come  to  be 
some  mixture  with  the  border  races. 

The  Armenian  tongue  is  of  the  Indo-European 
family  of  languages,  but  there  are  in  fact  two  tongues 
—  the  literary  and  ecclesiastical  language,  known  as 
"Old  Armenian,"  and  the  ordinary  spoken  and 
written  language,  which  is  mixed  with  many  Turkish 
and  Persian  words,  and  which  is  known  as  "New 
Armenian."  In  the  seventeenth  century  there  was 
a  revival  of  the  Armenian  literature  and  much  more 
became  known  of  the  history  and  the  genius  of  the 
people  through  Armenian  authors.  The  Armenians 
have  ever  shown  a  fondness  for  enlightenment.  It 
is  well  known  that  wherever  an  Armenian  settlement 
exists  there  a  printing  press  will  be  found. 

The  Armenian  Church  is  historic.  Armenia  was 
the  first  country  which  officially  embraced  Christian- 
ity. This  was  done  at  the  beginning  of  the  third 
century  under  Gregory  the  Illuminator,  although 
some  maintain  that  the  Armenian  Church  was  really 
founded  as  early  as  A.D.  34.  In  the  sixth  century 


82  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

the  Armenian  separated  from  the  Greek  Church, 
but  the  doctrines  and  usages  closely  resemble  those 
of  the  Greek  Church.  The  Armenian  priesthood 
is  hereditary.  There  are  four  patriarchs  and  one 
primate,  or  "  Katholikos,"  the  actual  head  of  the 
Church,  who  resides  in  the  monastery  of  Etchmiad- 
zin,  north  of  Mt.  Ararat  in  Russian  territory.  He 
is  elected  for  life  by  delegates  from  the  various 
Armenian  communities  throughout  the  world,  who 
come  here  for  that  purpose  when  a  vacancy  occurs, 
and  he  is  the  spiritual  head  of  all  believers  in  the 
Armenian  creed  in  America,  Europe,  Asia,  and 
Africa.  Though  differing  from  orthodox  Christians  in 
many  respects,  the  fidelity  with  which  the  Arme- 
nians have  retained  their  ancient  worship  has  always 
created  a  feeling  of  brotherhood  for  them  among 
Christians  in  all  parts  of  the  world. 

The  Armenians  have  been  a  persecuted  people 
almost  from  the  time  their  history  begins.  The  Per- 
sians sought  to  root  out  Christianity.  The  Moham- 
medans time  and  again  sought  to  cause  them  to 
abjure  their  ancient  faith  and  frequently  the  waves 
of  Moslem  fanaticism  have  swept  over  them. 

The  most  notable  persecution  was  in  the  enlight- 
ened nineteenth  century,  when  the  fearful  massa- 
cres of  1895  and  1896  were  perpetrated.  Religious 
fanaticism  had  much  to  do  with  these  massacres. 
The  political  policy  of  the  Sultan  Abdul  Hamid, 
who  was  then  in  power  at  Constantinople,  had  more 
to  do  with  it;  and  the  desire  to  despoil  the  thrifty 
and  industrious  Armenians  by  their  lawless  neigh- 
bors also  was  an  element  of  savage  destruction. 


ARMENIA,  THE  MARTYR  NATION  33 

It  was  late  in  1894  that  the  civilized  world  was 
thrilled  with  horror  over  the  news  that  several 
thousand  Christians  in  Armenia  had  been  butchered 
by  savage  and  bloodthirsty  Kurds,  but  the  real 
story  of  the  awful  occurrence  was  not  known  for 
months  later  and  by  that  time  the  situation  had 
become  a  fearful  one.  Turkish  Armenia,  the  north- 
western division  of  Kurdistan,  is  a  great  plateau 
of  nearly  60,000  square  miles,  bounded  on  the  north 
by  the  Russian  frontier,  on  the  east  by  Persia,  on 
the  west  by  the  plains  of  Mesopotamia,  and  on  the 
south  by  Asia  Minor.  In  this  section  half  of  the 
people  are  Mohammedans.  The  Kurds  lead  a  pas- 
toral and  predatory  life,  dwelling  in  the  mountain 
villages.  Some  of  these  tribes  are  migratory,  but 
almost  all  are  warlike,  and  many  are  brigands  pure 
and  simple.  For  centuries  they  have  oppressed  the 
Christians.  The  Kurdish  costumes  are  picturesque 
and  nearly  all  the  tribesmen  are  magnificent  horse- 
men. Years  ago  the  Government  at  Constantinople 
organized  them  as  a  military  force,  but  their  spirit 
is  one  that  scarcely  brooks  the  restraints  of  mili- 
tary discipline.  They  were  always  formidably 
armed. 

It  was  these  Kurds  who  filled  the  world  with  horror 
by  their  slaughter  at  Dalvoring  and  Sassoun.  The 
first  news  of  the  deplorable  plight  of  the  Armenians 
and  of  the  attack  of  the  Kurds  on  the  villages  of 
Sassoun  and  Dalvoring  came  from  Dr.  Grace  M. 
Kimball,  an  American  missionary  in  Turkish  Arme- 
nia. She  sent  a  most  vivid  picture  of  the  suffering 
that  prevailed  in  the  spring  and  summer  of  1895. 


34  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

Her  story  was  corroborated  by  other  missionaries 
and  by  the  Turks  themselves. 

Later  came  fuller  accounts  and  stories  of  fresh 
atrocities.  So  widespread  was  the  want  that  it  was 
written,  "Many  declared  in  bitterness  of  heart  that 
there  was  no  food  in  all  the  length  and  breadth  of 
Armenia,  which  was  long  ago  the  Garden  of  Eden." 
Still  later  came  sickening  stories  of  massacres  at 
Trebizond,  Van,  Erzeroum,  and  other  places. 

The  city  of  Trebizond  on  the  Black  Sea,  which 
was  the  scene  of  perhaps  the  greatest  massacre  — 
that  in  October  1895  —  is  older  than  Rome.  The 
Greeks  founded  it  800  years  before  Christ.  The 
Romans  drove  out  the  Greeks  and  the  Emperor 
Trajan  made  Trebizond  the  capital  of  the  Prov- 
ince of  Cappadocia.  Hadrian  built  the  harbor. 
The  Roman  Emperor  Justinian  erected  a  splendid 
castle.  Xenophon,  the  leader  of  the  retreat  of 
the  10,000  Greeks,  found  asylum  there  at  the  end 
of  his  famous  march.  The  camel  caravans  today 
travel  over  the  same  route  that  was  followed  by 
Xenophon. 

The  Reverend  Cyrus  Hamlin,  founder  of  Robert 
College,  Constantinople,  and  known  to  philanthropic 
Christendom  the  world  over,  confirmed  the  worst 
stories  of  what  was  going  on.  In  an  interview 
with  Dr.  Klopsch  in  The  Christian  Herald  office 
Dr.  Hamlin  said: 

"I  have  lately  finished  reading  two  hundred 
letters  from  missionaries,  a  very  large  part  of  them 
dealing  with  the  oppressions  and  sufferings  of  the 
Armenians,  which  were  of  the  most  frightful  char- 


ARMENIA.  THE  MARTYR  NATION  35 

acter.  The  poor  creatures  must  have  help  before  the 
winter  opens  in  earnest  or  they  will  perish.  The 
Armenian  winter  is  usually  very  severe,  the  snow 
lying  on  the  ground  from  four  to  six  feet  in  depth, 
and  the  cold  being  intense.  The  whole  civilized 
Christian  world  must  help  these  people.  They  must 
be  saved  and  assisted  over  the  winter.  They  can 
look  in  no  other  direction  for  help,  for  there  is  no 
sympathy  and  assistance  to  be  had  from  Turkey. 
Indeed  the  policy  of  the  Sultan's  Government  is 
apparently  dictated  by  a  desire  to  efface  the  Arme- 
nian people  altogether,  at  least  those  of  them  who 
will  not  accept  Mohammed.  When  you  talk  sympa- 
thizingly  about  these  people  a  Turk  will  say  in  sur- 
prise, '  Why  do  you  speak  in  behalf  of  such  worthless 
trash  and  try  to  save  them?  They  can  save  them- 
selves. All  they  need  to  do  is  to  accept  Islam,  and 
then  they  are  safe  and  out  of  trouble.' 

"And  so  a  Turk  regards  it  as  strange  that  an 
Armenian  should  refuse  to  purchase  his  life  at  the 
cost  of  his  faith;  but  there  are  some  among  them 
who  take  a  different  view.  Some  of  the  Turkish 
soldiers  who  shared  in  the  terrible  atrocities  lately 
perpetrated  on  the  Armenian  Christians  have  been 
stricken  by  remorse  afterward.  One  soldier  who 
had  borne  his  part  in  several  horrible  butcheries  of 
women  and  children  was  so  troubled  that  he  could 
not  sleep.  He  had  visions  of  his  victims  that  ulti- 
mately drove  him  insane." 

As  news  came  of  one  massacre  following  another, 
and  of  the  inertness,  if  not  of  the  actual  complic- 
ity, of  the  Turkish  Government  in  the  attacks,  the 
whole  Christian  world  became  stirred.  In  England, 
where  for  political  reasons  the  Ministry  that  was 
then  in  power  had  sought  to  shield  the  Turkish 


36  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

Government,  the  indignation  was  voiced  by  the 
great  statesman,  William  E.  Gladstone,  and  relief 
measures  were  undertaken  by  private  societies  and 
individuals.  In  the  United  States  the  movement 
for  relief  was  spontaneous.  As  usual,  Dr.  Klopsch 
and  The  Christian  Herald  were  foremost  in  it.  An 
American,  Mr.  W.  W.  Howard,  who  had  a  short  time 
previously  returned  from  Armenia,  was  made  Chris- 
tian Herald  Commissioner,  and  started  at  once  for 
Van  to  begin  the  relief  work  systematically. 

Meantime  further  details  of  the  reign  of  terror 
were  received.  The  American  missionaries  who 
were  everywhere  risking  their  lives  were  constantly 
threatened.  But  they  continued  to  do  their  duty. 
An  account  of  the  massacre  at  Trebizond  was  re- 
ceived in  a  private  letter.  This  letter  said: 

Like  a  clap  of  thunder  in  a  clear  sky  the  thing  began  about 
11  A.M.,  October  8th  (1895).  Unsuspecting  people  walking 
along  the  streets  were  shot  ruthlessly  down.  Men  standing 
or  sitting  at  their  shop  doors  were  instantly  dropped  with  a 
bullet  through  their  heads  or  hearts.  The  aim  was  deadly  and 
I  heard  of  no  wounded  men.  Some  were  slashed  with  swords 
until  life  was  extinct.  They  passed  through  the  quarters 
where  only  old  men,  women  and  children  remained,  killing  the 
men  and  large  boys,  and  generally  permitting  the  women  and 
the  younger  children  to  live.  For  five  hours  this  horrid  work 
of  human  butchery  went  on.  The  cracking  of  musketry, 
sometimes  like  a  volley  from  a  platoon  of  soldiers,  but  more 
often  single  shots  from  near  and  distant  points,  the  crashing 
in  of  doors  and  the  thud  thud  of  sword  blows  sounded  on  our 
ears.  Then  the  sound  of  musketry  died  away  and  the  work  of 
loot  began.  Every  shop  of  an  Armenian  in  the  market  was 
gutted  and  the  victors  in  this  cowardly  and  brutal  work 
glutted  themselves  with  spoils.  The  intention  evidently  was 


ARMENIA.  THE  MARTYR  NATION  37 

to  impoverish  and  as  near  as  possible  to  blot  out  the  Arme- 
nians of  this  town.  So  far  as  appearance  went  the  police  and 
soldiers  distinctly  aided  in  this  savage  work.  They  mingled  with 
the  armed  men  and  so  far  as  we  could  see  made  not  the  least 
effort  to  check  them.  Apparently  they  took  care  to  see  that 
the  right  ones,  that  is  Armenians,  were  killed;  also  that  an  offer 
of  surrender  might  be  made  to  all  that  were  found  unarmed. 
To  any  found  with  arms  no  quarter  was  given,  but  large  num- 
bers were  shot  down  without  any  proffer  of  this  kind.  One  poor 
fellow  when  called  on  to  surrender  thought  he  was  called  on 
to  give  up  his  religion  and  when  he  refused  he  was  hacked  to 
pieces  in  the  presence  of  his  wife  and  children.  While  I  write 
the  wails  of  the  newly  bereaved  fall  on  my  ears.  Some  in 
suspense  wait  to  know  the  fate  of  their  missing  ones;  others 
rejoice  at  greeting  them  again.  Throngs  fill  the  schools  that 
are  under  foreign  protection  and  the  consulates.  There  is  no 
telling  how  many  have  perished. 

What  was  written  of  events  at  Trebizond  was  true 
of  Van,  of  Erzeroum,  of  Bitlis,  and  of  scores  of 
other  places. 

Further  reports  were  received  from  Miss  Kimball, 
telling  of  the  conditions  and  of  the  growing  need 
for  relief.  A  cry  that  reached  every  heart  was 
the  appeal  of  Armenia  at  the  Christmas  season  of 
1895  as  voiced  by  the  sympathetic  pen  of  Mrs. 
Cyrus  Hamlin,  the  wife  of  the  veteran  missionary. 
It  was  this: 

Fierce  winter  comes  and  we  must  die, 
Western  brothers,  hear  our  cry! 
In  your  ceiled  houses  warm, 
Safe  shut  in  from  sleet  and  storm, 
Help  the  houseless.     Clothe  the  feet 
That  must  freeze  in  storm  and  sleet. 
Brothers!  sisters!  hear  our  cry, 
Whiter  comes,  we  all  must  die. 


337147 


38  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

Free  America!  afar, 
Show  the  Kaiser  and  the  Czar 
What  the  heart  of  God  can  teach  — 
How  the  hand  of  man  can  reach! 
Send  the  Red  Cross!     Murder  reigns! 
Pestilence  walks  through  our  plains! 
Send  your  ships  with  corn  and  wheat, 
Bid  our  starving  thousands  eat. 

In  December  a  ray  of  cheer  came  from  Miss 
Kimball  in  acknowledging  the  receipt  of  $10,000 
from  The  Christian  Herald  fund.  "This  news,"  she 
wrote,  "has  given  us  our  real  Thanksgiving  Day. 
We  are  now  feeding  at  Van  about  1,500  people 
daily,  and  are  distributing  clothing  to  these  people 
and  hundreds  of  other  villagers  who  are  in  the 
greatest  need." 

But  in  every  district  there  was  the  same  tragic 
story  of  massacre,  outrage,  pillage,  and  abduction, 
monasteries  sacked  and  Christian  pastors  and  peo- 
ple butchered.  In  many  villages  of  Armenia  priests 
were  among  the  number  who  laid  down  their  lives 
as  a  testimony  of  the  faith.  Thousands  of  women 
were  carried  away  captive  to  become  inmates  of 
Moslem  harems.  At  the  village  of  Hoh  in  the 
Sanjak  district  the  local  magistrates  promised  to 
protect  the  Christians,  but  when  they  saw  villages 
burning  in  every  direction  they  refused  to  keep 
their  word.  All  the  Christians  were  told  that  under 
pain  of  death  they  must  accept  Islam.  They  were 
assembled  at  the  mosque,  and  there  eighty  young 
men  were  picked  out  and  led  outside  the  village  for 
slaughter.  The  young  women  of  the  village  were 


ARMENIA.  THE  MARTYR  NATION  89 

taken  to  Turkish  harems,  and  the  survivors  of  the 
Christian  population  were  scattered  among  other 
villages. 

The  chief  Christian  Herald  relief  station  was  at 
Van,  but  other  stations  were  opened.  Word  now  was 
received  from  Commissioner  Howard.  He  wrote 
that  the  Kurds  were  raging  up  and  down  the  country, 
burning  villages,  killing  the  inhabitants,  committing 
all  kinds  of  atrocities,  and  carrying  off  the  sheep, 
cattle,  and  household  property  of  the  unfortunate 
people.  He  gave  a  list  of  the  villages  between  the 
Persian  border  and  the  city  of  Van  that  had  been 
destroyed.  The  traditional  site  of  the  Garden  of 
Eden,  the  place  that  God  made  holy  with  His  pres- 
ence, ran  with  blood  and  resounded  with  the  shrieks 
of  anguish  of  men  and  women. 

An  account  came  from  Oorfa  of  the  slaughter 
there.  It  was  written  by  Miss  Corinna  Shattuck, 
an  American  missionary  of  Dorchester,  Massa- 
chusetts. She  was  the  Christian  heroine  of  that 
awful  event. 

Writing  under  date  of  January  24,  1896,  Miss 
Shattuck  told  this  story  of  the  massacre  at 
Oorfa: 

.  .  .  Sunday,  in  the  early  afternoon,  martial  music  was 
heard  and  in  triumphal  strain.  It  proved  a  grand  procession 
of  military  and  civil  officers  and  private  Moslems  of  wealth 
and  position  viewing  the  streets  and  homes.  They  requested 
entrance  to  our  yard  and  that  I  appear  on  the  veranda.  They 
expressed  salaams  and  "begged  I  would  not  be  disturbed; 
the  proceedings  did  not  pertain  to  me;  I  was  in  perfect  safety." 
I  subsided  as  soon  as  possible.  They  peered  into  windows  and 
inquired  if  we  had  men  here.  Servant  and  guards  honestly 


40  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

said:  "No,  only  women  and  children."  Was  I  not  thankful 
I  had  hidden  elsewhere  the  sixty  men? 

All  day  we  had  the  smell  of  burning  wool  and  cotton,  bed- 
ding, etc.,  in  the  homes  fired  (buildings  are  of  stone  and  so 
cannot  be  burned).  Later,  the  indescribable,  sickening  odors 
from  the  great  holocaust  in  the  Gregorian  Church,  where  some 
three  thousand,  having  gone  there  Saturday  night  for  refuge, 
perished.  Monday  the  work  was  declared  done.  The  Kurds 
and  Arabs  about  the  city  were  driven  off  by  the  soldiers  and 
everywhere  announcements  were  made  that  people  were  safe. 
Slowly  they  began  to  come  out  of  their  hiding-places;  wells, 
vaults,  drains,  and  all  imaginable  and  unimaginable  places. 
Some  coming  to  me,  Tuesday,  had  not  tasted  food  since 
Saturday.  They  looked  like  corpses.  Meanwhile,  the  authori- 
ties were  dragging  off  the  dead  and  burying  them  outside  the 
city  in  long  trenches.  Fifteen  hundred  were  so  buried.  Four 
days  the  line  of  Jews  was  seen  on  the  brow  of  the  hill  just  back 
of  our  house,  lugging  in  sacks  the  bones,  ashes,  etc.,  from  the 
church.  Last  of  all  came  the  clearing  of  wells.  Some  estimate 
that  five  hundred  were  taken  out.  Many  wells  and  cisterns 
are  very  large.  I  know  of  one  from  which  twenty-five  bodies 
were  taken.  In  all,  our  dead  number  five  thousand,  as  nearly 
as  can  be  estimated.  Our  Protestant  loss,  one  hundred  and 
ten.  The  wounded  under  the  care  of  the  government  physician, 
the  only  doctor  left,  were  three  hundred  and  fifty.  Many  of 
these  died.  We  had  twenty-two  here  under  our  care,  our 
rooms  and  schoolrooms  being  filled  with  the  most  forlorn  and 
helpless. 

Our  special  guards  have  been  most  faithful.  We  fed  them 
regularly.  They  fought  as  for  dear  life  that  Saturday  and 
Sunday,  and  kept  the  mob  from  us  a  distance  of  three  doors. 
The  mob  entered  our  girls'  schoolroom  in  the  church  yard  and 
smashed  boxes,  glass,  etc.,  but  did  no  more  in  the  church 
region.  I  saw  a  man  shot  down  just  across  the  street  on  one 
side,  and  heard  the  crashing,  smashing  of  the  doors  all  about 
us.  I  am  told  that  the  Sultan  himself  sent  a  telegram  for  my 
protection.  Of  course,  if  so,  it  was  at  the  instigation  of  Minister 


ARMENIA.  THE  MARTYR  NATION  41 

Terrell.  I  am  thankful  I  am  spared  that  I  may  serve;  but  I 
would  willingly  have  died  that  parents  might  be  spared  to  their 
children.  The  end  we  see  not,  we  are  in  a  thick  cloud;  but 
God  lives  and  we  will  trust  him  though  all  expected  help  of 
man  fail. 

Miss  Shattuck  lived  for  many  years  in  Oorfa 
after  these  horrors,  and  did  the  great  work  of  her 
life  there.  She  died  at  her  home  in  Massachusetts 
in  the  summer  of  1910. 

There  was  one  bright  page  in  the  story  of  Armenia's 
sufferings  and  of  the  massacres  of  defenseless  people. 
The  brave  mountaineers  of  Zeitoun  held  their  strong- 
hold against  every  attack  until  the  Turkish  Govern- 
ment was  compelled  to  grant  their  demands  and  they 
could  look  to  Europe  to  see  that  the  conditions  were 
faithfully  fulfilled. 

Zeitoun  was  a  fortified  town  in  Cilicia,  the  fortress 
being  300  feet  higher  than  the  town  itself.  Its 
people  were  better  educated  and  more  independent 
than  the  Armenians  of  the  interior  and  the  Black 
Sea.  When  the  peaceful  Armenians  of  Marash  and 
Alabash  were  attacked  and  slaughtered  the  Zeitoun- 
lis  went  to  their  aid.  Then  the  Sultan  sent  officials 
to  Zeitoun  to  disarm  the  people  there,  the  usual 
preliminary  to  a  massacre.  The  people  revolted, 
attacked  and  captured  the  fortress,  600  soldiers 
surrendering  to  the  victors.  The  Armenian  women 
went  to  the  fortress,  the  mosque,  and  other  build- 
ings, and  covered  them  with  crosses,  putting  the 
cross  on  the  top  of  the  mosque  to  show  that  the 
whole  town  had  become  Christian.  The  Zeitounlis 
held  the  fortress  for  five  months.  Fighting  was  con- 


42  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

tinuous.  At  last  there  were  no  fewer  than  11,000 
Turkish  soldiers  engaged  in  the  siege,  while  the  de- 
fenders numbered  only  8000.  The  Zeitounlis  gar- 
risoned the  fortress  and  every  point  of  vantage,  and 
suffered  a  loss  of  only  80,  with  75  wounded,  who 
died  because  they  had  no  medical  aid.  The  Turks 
refused  to  let  the  Red  Cross  Society  enter  the  town. 

Twice  the  Government  representatives  tried  to 
begin  negotiations,  but  their  terms  were  so  extrava- 
gant that  the  people  would  not  listen.  Then  the 
representatives  of  the  United  Powers  and  the  people 
chose  three  of  the  chiefs  who  conducted  the  defense 
to  negotiate.  The  Sultan  granted  their  demands. 
They  were  promised  a  Christian  Kimakan,  or  Gov- 
ernor, for  the  Zeitoun  District,  chosen  by  the  repre- 
sentatives of  the  Powers,  and  established  under 
their  guarantee,  the  people  to  appoint  their  own 
police  and  administration  —  all  to  be  Christian. 

Slowly  the  clouds  lifted  in  the  desolated  districts. 
The  Turkish  Government  was  compelled  by  the 
negligent  Christian  governments  of.  Europe  to  cease 
connivance  with  the  massacres.  In  some  districts 
humane  Turkish  officials  who  did  not  sympathize 
with  the  slaughter  were  no  longer  interfered  with 
in  their  efforts  to  prevent  it.  A  letter  of  appreciation 
came  from  Miss  Kimball  dated  at  Van,  January  7, 
1896.  She  wrote: 

DEAK  DR.  KLOPSCH:  I  inclose  financial  statement  and 
summary  of  work  now  in  hand.  You  will  see  by  the  inclosed 
how  sorely  we  needed  your  magnificent  fund,  and  perhaps  you 
may  be  able  to  dimly  imagine  what  a  tremendous  relief  we 
experienced  when  your  telegram  came  very  opportunely  on 


ARMENIA,  THE  MARTYR  NATION  43 

New  Year's  Day.  I  cannot  express  to  you  adequately  our 
deep  gratitude  to  you  and  your  co-laborers  for  this  noble 
work.  Many  and  many  a  poor  villager  says  to  me,  "  You  have 
saved  this  province  from  a  terrible  famine."  The  praise  be- 
longs not  to  me,  but  to  yourself  and  the  generous  men  and 
women  in  America  and  England  who  have  thus  generously 
opened  their  hearts  and  purses.  We  are  indeed  the  only  hope 
of  these  people  for  the  winter.  May  the  good  work  go  on. 

Accompanying  this  letter  was  a  summary  of  the 
relief  work  at  Van. 

A  letter  received  by  the  National  Armenian  Relief 
Committee  in  New  York  from  a  leading  missionary 
of  the  American  Board  in  Constantinople  gave  some 
interesting  information  regarding  the  relief  work 
generally.  The  missionary  wrote: 

The  funds  so  far  appropriated  will  probably  maintain  the 
work  on  the  present  scale  through  the  month  of  January.  A 
special  industrial  relief  is  now  being  carried  on  at  Van,  where 
there  are  more  than  15,000  refugees.  The  funds  mainly  come 
from  The  Christian  Herald  of  New  York.  The  American 
missionaries  stationed  in  the  provinces  of  Trebizond,  Erzeroum, 
Bitlis,  Van,  Harpoot,  Diarbekir,  Sivas,  Angora,  Adana,  and 
Aleppo  are  careful  in  making  their  statements,  and  their 
private  letters;  and  their  more  formal  reports  to  the  United 
States  Legation  here  have  been  extensively  used  in  forming  the 
opinions  herein  expressed. 

The  Christian  Herald  continued  its  work  of  arous- 
ing the  American  people  and  of  collecting  subscrip- 
tions, which  were  promptly  forwarded.  It  kept  in 
close  touch  with  the  relief  stations  established. 
Official  assurances  were  published  that  the  relief 
funds  had  reached  their  destination  safely.  When 
the  word  came  that  the  city  of  Harpoot,  one  of 


44  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

the  chief  stations  of  the  American  Board  of  Foreign 
Missions,  had  suffered  greatly  and  that  several  thou- 
sand Armenian  Christians  had  fallen  there  under 
the  Kurdish  and  Turkish  swords,  a  further  remit- 
tance was  promptly  sent  to  that  point.  The  Chris- 
tian Herald  Commissioner  kept  up  his  active  work 
of  organizing  relief  stations.  By  this  time  sixteen 
of  these  stations  were  in  operation.  Miss  Kimball 
continued  to  write  of  the  good  work  that  was  being 
done: 

"  The  Christian  Herald's  bakeries,"  she  said  in  one  letter,  "are 
forging  along  magnificently,  and  are  the  great  famine  break- 
water to  the  community.  Last  Saturday  was  the  Armenian 
Christmas,  and  on  the  day  before  we  made  special  effort  to 
see  that  as  many  as  possible  were  supplied  with  the  bare  means 
of  existence.  On  that  day  9,000  were  actually  provided  for 
through  the  different  departments,  and  untold  suffering  re- 
lieved. We  blessed  continually  the  generous  people  who  make 
this  work  possible,  and  the  Armenian  people,  though  unable 
even  to  thank  their  benefactors  directly,  still  do  not  fail  in 
constant  expressions  of  the  profoundest  gratitude." 

The  Rev.  W.  M.  Chambers  wrote  from  Erzeroum 
acknowledging  the  receipt  of  $2,000  from  The  Chris- 
tian Herald  fund : 

Allow  me  to  thank  you  most  heartily  in  the  name  of  the 
thousands  of  suffering  people  here  for  the  generous  gift.  We 
have  distributed  in  this  city  100  mattresses  and  coverlets,  with 
a  considerable  amount  of  clothing  and  fuel.  We  are  feeding 
daily  2,600  persons.  We  issue  bread  tickets  to  each  family  to 
be  held  for  a  week.  The  distress  is  indescribable.  The  grati- 
tude of  the  recipients  is  deep  and  most  touching. 

In  March  1896  came  word  that  the  crisis  had  passed 
and  that  the  refugees  were  returning  to  their  village 


ARMENIA,  THE  MARTYR  NATION  45 

homes.  It  was  thereupon  arranged  that  the  relief 
funds  should  be  closed  in  April.  The  American 
Board  missionaries  at  Sjvas,  another  station  of  The 
Christian  Herald  fund,  wrote  expressing  the  thanks 
of  the  sufferers  of  that  section  for  the  help  extended. 
In  the  Sivas  massacres  2,000  Christians  were  slaugh- 
tered, homes  were  looted,  and  chapels,  dwellings, 
schools  and  even  school  books  were  burned.  At 
Gurun  2,000  were  killed,  and  250  brides  and  young 
girls  were  abducted. 

In  March  Commissioner  Howard  got  back  to  New 
York,  after  nearly  six  months  of  incessant  travel, 
and  many  perilous  adventures  on  the  Turkish  border. 
Although  excluded  from  Turkey  by  special  order  of 
the  government  at  Constantinople,  he  was  never- 
theless able  to  do  much  toward  aiding  the  relief 
movement.  He  rescued  and  aided  the  terrified 
fugitive  Armenians  who  had  fled  across  the  snowy 
mountains  to  Salmis  and  other  border  cities  in  Persia, 
from  the  massacres  in  Van  province;  and  in  con- 
junction with  the  Christian  missionaries  at  Urumia 
organized  a  relief  movement  there  to  care  for  the 
perishing  exiles.  Through  his  efforts  the  Persian 
border  villages  were  transformed  into  havens  of 
shelter  and  refuge  for  those  who  sought  to  escape 
the  cruel  Kurdish  lances  or  the  no  less  savage  Turkish 
swords. 

Further  letters  came  telling  of  the  suffering  that 
had  been  endured.  From  Cesarea  the  Rev.  W.  S. 
Dodd  wrote  relating  the  incidents  of  a  relief  expedi- 
tion to  the  adjacent  village  of  Gigi: 


46  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

"  When  the  plunderers  approached,  the  people  fled 
and  so  saved  the  clothes  they  wore.  When  they 
returned  it  was  hardly  more  than  roofs  that  they 
found.  I  visited  every  house,  opening  flour  bins, 
uncovering  jars  and  taking  a  light  into  dark  corners. 
Most  of  the  houses  consisted  of  two  rooms,  some  of 
only  one.  The  first  room  presented  only  four  mud 
walls  and  a  mud  floor  with  a  hole  in  the  center  for 
a  fire.  Around  this  would  be  gathered  5  or  10 
children  or  adults  spending  their  time  in  keeping 
warm.  In  many  houses  the  flour  bins  were  smashed 
to  pieces  and  there  was  nothing  to  examine.  When 
I  asked  them  what  they  were  going  to  eat  tomorrow, 
'God  knows,'  they  replied;  'we  borrowed  this  to- 
day; perhaps  we  can  borrow  some  more  tomorrow.' 
In  the  whole  village  there  was  not  a  single  bed, 
hardly  a  thing  that  could  be  called  a  quilt  —  noth- 
ing but  little  heaps  of  rags  which  they  treasured  up 
carefully  to  spread  out  for  the  night." 

One  of  the  most  touching  stories  of  martyrdom  was 
that  contained  in  a  letter  from  an  Armenian  farmer 
living  at  Shefik,  a  village  near  Harpoot.  After  tell- 
ing of  the  ravaging  and  burning  of  the  place  by 
Kurds  and  Turks  successively,  he  wrote: 

"On  the  eighth  day,  as  they  had  finished  their 
work,  they  came  to  us  who  were  on  the  banks  of 
the  stream.  They  killed  brother  Bagdogh's  son  and 
pastor  Meclon,  because  they  would  not  change  their 
religion.  It  became  night,  darkness  was  upon  us, 
but  they  came  with  lanterns  and  selected  45  young 
men,  saying  that  the  government  wished  them. 
Knowing  what  would  befall  them,  they  asked  for  an 
hour's  grace.  They  prayed  and  sang,  they  asked 
forgiveness  of  each  other,  they  kissed  the  hands  of 
their  parents  and  parted  with  tears  with  the  expec- 


ARMENIA,  THE  MARTYR  NATION  47 

tation  of  never  seeing  each  other.  Taking  them  to 
a  desolate  place  half  an  hour  distant  they  were  taken 
apart  two  by  two  and  threatened  with  death  if  they 
would  not  change  their  religion.  They  all  with  one 
voice  agreed  upon  saying  boldly,  'We  will  not  deny 
our  religion;  we  are  ready  to  die  for  our  Saviour's 
love.'  Only  5  succeeded  in  making  their  escape, 
but  the  remaining  40  became  martyrs  for  the  love 
of  Jesus.  My  son  Samuel  was  among  the  45,  but 
he  escaped  with  4  others  and  hid  in  a  cave  for  10  or 
12  days.  My  youngest  son,  22  years  old,  was  killed. 
How  heart-rending  was  the  sight!  A  week  before 
we  were  in  our  homes,  comfortable,  having  made 
every  preparation  for  the  winter,  and  having  our 
friends  about  us;  but  like  Job  we  were  deprived  of 
everything  —  dwelling  house,  furniture,  beds,  food, 
clothing.  With  heads  uncovered,  feet  bare,  little 
clothing  upon  us,  we  passed  from  rock  to  rock, 
from  mountain  to  mountain,  with  great  wailing  and 
lamentation,  to  find  our  children.  Rachel  weeping 
for  her  children,  and  would  not  be  comforted,  be- 
cause they  were  not." 

Miss  Kimball,  in  a  later  statement  of  the  con- 
dition of  the  relief  work  at  Van,  wrote: 

"My  heart  aches  for  the  ladies  and  little  children 
who  are  accustomed  to  live  on  the  abundant  milk 
in  the  villages;  poor  little  things,  with  nothing  but 
crusts  of  dried  bread  to  munch  now.  And  even  the 
supply  for  the  nurslings  gives  out  when  the  poor 
mothers  eat  only  insufficient  dry  bread;  not  only 
from  physical  hardship  but  the  mental  suffering 
often  of  grief  for  husband  or  brother  murdered; 
always  for  houses  robbed,  property  destroyed,  and 
the  hopelessness  for  the  food.  I  call  to  mind  one 
of  hundreds  of  similar  instances,  a  family  of  refugees 
in  a  house  which  I  can  see  from  where  I  sit  while 


48  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

writing  this.  The  father  was  killed,  the  mother 
with  5  small  children  fled  to  the  city  and  found  refuge 
in  a  cold,  damp  stable  —  no  beds,  no  fire,  no  food 
and  no  clothing,  the  thermometer  below  zero.  The 
mother  fell  ill  with  fever  and  when  my  attention 
was  called  to  the  family  the  baby  was  simply  a 
skeleton  in  the  last  stages  of  starvation,  and  the 
other  children  were  little  better.  It  was  a  real 
satisfaction  to  be  able  through  the  generosity  of  the 
people  at  home  to  send  on  now  with  fuel,  clothing, 
beds  and  medicine.  But,  alas,  one  of  the  men  came 
the  next  day  for  a  winding  sheet  for  the  baby." 

Here  as  always  the  cry  of  the  children  reached 
Dr.  Klopsch's  heart.  Provision  for  the  Armenian 
orphans  was  one  of  his  first  thoughts.  In  a  letter 
from  the  Brussa  Orphanage  the  question  of  provid- 
ing for  the  vast  number  of  orphans  whose  parents 
were  victims  in  the  massacre  was  brought  up  by  the 
principal  of  the  orphanage,  Gregory  Bagdasarian. 
He  wrote: 

"The  Orphanage  of  Brussa,  being  the  only  Protes- 
tant asylum  in  this  part  of  Asia  Minor,  has  already 
opened  its  gates  to  the  orphans  of  this  glorious 
host  of  martyrs.  The  Armenian  martyrs  are  now 
crowned  by  their  Lord  and  Saviour,  whom  they  would 
not  deny.  What  should  be  done  with  the  great 
number  of  destitutes  and  orphans?" 

When  the  fund  was  closed  and  no  further  sub- 
scriptions were  received  for  immediate  relief  work, 
it  was  found  that  there  was  a  balance  of  a  fraction 
under  $7,000.  The  arrangement  made  was  that  this 
balance  should  be  used  for  the  support  of  orphan- 
ages at  Oorfa,  Harpoot,  Mardin,  and  Van.  Pledges 


ARMENIA,  THE  MARTYR  NATION  49 

were  made  which  enabled  the  orphans  to  be  cared 
for  for  a  period  of  three  years,  while  further  means 
were  taken  to  establish  them  on  a  more  perma- 
nent basis.  Much  attention  was  given  to  industrial 
training,  and  the  Armenian  orphanages  more  than 
justified  the  provision  made  for  their  maintenance. 
Miss  Shattuck  wrote  from  Oorfa  glowing  accounts 
of  what  was  being  accomplished,  and  equally  favor- 
able reports  were  received  from  the  other  orphanages. 

During  the  closing  days  of  the  relief  fund  the 
responses  of  the  friends  of  Armenia  were  prompt 
and  liberal.  It  was  arranged  that  The  Christian 
Herald  subscriptions  should  be  closed,  and  that 
contributions  intended  for  Armenia  should  thence- 
forth be  sent  to  the  Rev.  Dr.  Creegan,  of  the  Ameri- 
can Board,  by  whom  the  money  was  cabled  to  the 
American  missionaries. 

The  total  contributions  to  the  fund  from  Septem- 
ber 4, 1895,  when  the  first  subscription  was  received, 
to  June  1,  1898,  when  the  last  dollar  was  taken  in, 
amounted  to  $63,867.98.  There  was  hardly  a  mis- 
sion from  Van  to  the  Bosphorus  in  which  the  readers 
of  The  Christian  Herald  were  not  remembered  with 
blessings  and  gratitude. 

Dr.  Klopsch  and  the  readers  of  The  Christian  Herald 
continued  to  afford  relief  to  various  districts  of  the 
Turkish  Empire  in  later  years  when  disasters  came 
upon  them.  A  liberal  sum  was  provided  for  the 
earthquake  sufferers  at  Constantinople,  and  this 
was  distributed  through  Turkish  sources.  Erzeroum, 
late  in  1901,  suffered  from  an  earthquake  shock 
and  some  relief  was  necessary  for  the  survivors. 


50  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

To  this  The  Christian  Herald  readers  contributed. 
Bitlis  suffered  a  severe  earthquake  in  1907,  with 
much  destruction  of  property  and  loss  of  life.  Contri- 
butions were  made  to  the  survivors  of  this  disaster. 

It  was  in  the  spring  of  1909,  when  the  rule  of  Abdul 
Hamid  was  ending,  that  more  massacres  of  Chris- 
tians occurred.  The  scene  of  these  horrors  was  the 
province  of  Adana.  How  far  they  were  due  to  the 
intrigues  of  the  Abdul  Hamid  regime,  in  order  to 
excite  the  Christian  world  against  the  Young  Turks 
who  were  gaining  control  in  their  long  struggle  for 
the  regeneration  of  Turkey,  and  how  far  it  was  a 
sudden  eruption  of  fanatical  Mohammedanism,  may 
never  be  fully  known.  But  the  recurrence  of  fanat- 
icism was  marked  by  the  usual  scenes  of  murder, 
pillage,  and  worse. 

More  than  30,000  Christians  —  Greeks,  Syrians, 
and  Armenians,  but  chiefly  the  latter  —  were  slaugh- 
tered. In  Adana  and  Tarsus  the  savagery  was  the 
worst.  One  report  of  the  carnage  at  Tarsus  said: 

"Armenian  men  and  women  were  stood  up  in 
rows,  or  one  by  one,  and  shot  down  to  the  applause 
of  the  Moslem  multitude.  Vast  numbers  are  home- 
less and  threatened  with  famine  if  they  escape  the 
sword.  Only  young  Christian  girls  are  spared  and 
they  are  being  bartered  as  if  they  were  a  new  sort 
of  currency.  Children  snatched  from  the  breasts  of 
murdered  parents  are  being  traded  by  their  captors 
for  arms  and  ammunition;  and  girls  are  sold  into 
harems  and  rendered  victims  to  even  grosser  hor- 
rors. The  dead  in  the  City  of  Adana  lie  in  heaps, 
and  in  the  Sihun  River,  flowing  down  to  the  Medi- 


ARMENIA.  THE  MARTYR  NATION  51 

terranean,  the  bodies  of  women  and  children  float 
thickly  on  the  waves." 

Fever  and  famine  followed  the  massacres.  Con- 
tagious diseases  broke  out  among  the  refugees. 
Ambassador  Leishman  cabled  from  Constantinople 
that  great  suffering  existed  in  the  ravaged  districts 
and  an  epidemic  was  feared  owing  to  the  unsanitary 
conditions  caused  by  unburied  dead. 

Military  law  was  proclaimed;  the  Christian  Powers 
sought  to  support  the  Young  Turks  in  their  efforts 
to  control  the  fanatics.  Further  massacres  were 
stopped,  but  the  suffering  continued.  The  mission- 
aries in  Asiatic  Turkey  appealed  as  usual  to  Dr. 
Klopsch.  The  State  Department  in  Washington  in 
answer  to  a  telegram  from  Dr.  Klopsch  gave  full 
details  of  the  work  of  the  relief  committee  at  Adana. 
Although  international  in  character,  it  was  largely 
composed  of  resident  American  missionaries  headed 
by  the  American  and  the  British  Consuls.  The 
appeal  was  for  help  for  the  refugees,  the  survivors 
of  the  horror.  Turkey's  new  government  had  begun 
with  an  official  investigation  of  the  infamies,  and  this 
investigation  later  resulted  in  the  punishment  of 
many  of  the  principals.  Yet  the  great  need  was  for 
immediate  relief.  This  Dr.  Klopsch  met  by  a  cable 
remittance  for  $5,000,  soon  to  be  followed  by  a  second 
remittance  of  the  same  amount.  These  remittances 
were  made  in  anticipation  of  contributions  to  the 
relief  fund. 

Relief  work  was  got  quickly  under  way,  and  food 
and  medical  supplies  were  distributed  among  the 
refugees.  The  officers  and  crews  of  the  foreign  war- 


52  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

ships  greatly  helped  the  missionaries  in  their  humane 
work. 

The  Christian  Herald  received  contributions  and 
transmitted  them  to  the  scene  of  suffering,  until  the 
distress  was  passed.  The  Armenians,  not  only  of 
Asiatic  Turkey,  but  all  over  the  world,  and  espe- 
cially in  the  United  States,  showed  their  apprecia- 
tion of  its  work.  Many  letters  were  received  from 
individual  Armenian  survivors  of  the  massacres  and 
famine  telling  of  the  splendid  results  which  were 
secured  by  the  prompt  relief  afforded.  When  all 
was  over,  the  Young  Turks  were  in  full  control  at 
Constantinople,  and  their  continued  supremacy  in 
the  government  of  the  Ottoman  Empire  affords  hope 
that  the  days  of  massacres  of  Armenian  Christians 
are  passed. 


CHAPTER    IV 

INDIA   AND   HER   PEOPLE 

THE  HOME  OF  THREE  HUNDRED  MILLIONS HINDUS  AND  MOHAMMEDANB 

CAUSES  OF  THE  GREAT  FAMINES CROP  FAILURE  IN  1897  —  MISSIONARIES 

CALL  FOR  HELP  —  BISHOP  THOBURN STEAMER  "EVERETT"   DISPATCHED 

BY  DR.  KLOPSCH "CHRISTIAN  HERALD "  REMITTANCES TALES  OF  BUF- 
FERING RELIEVED  —  PLAN  FOLLOWED  —  THANKS  MEMORIAL  IN  THE  TAMIL 

LANGUAGE  —  GREETING  FROM  THE  METHODISTS GOOD  DONE  THROUGH  THE 

FUND ACCOUNTING  FOR  $400,000 AMBASSADOR  PAUNCEFOTE  CONVEYS 

INDIA'S  THANKS. 

NO  country  in  the  world  has  a  greater  fasci- 
nation than  India,  with  its  many  races, 
its    numerous    languages,    its    contrasted 
religions,  its  hideous  system  of  castes,  its  strange 
customs,  and  its  history  of  destructive  wars  and 
pestilences. 

There  are  300,000,000  human  beings  in  the  Indian 
Empire.  We  do  not  realize  just  what  India  is  on 
the  map  of  the  world,  but  actually  it  is  a  collection 
of  kingdoms  and  peoples  differing  very  widely  in 
all  their  characteristics.  A  recent  writer  has  sup- 
posed a  roving  traveler  to  enter  India  from  the  north 
through  Cashmere  and  to  survey  the  country  in 
this  manner: 

Radiating  east  and  south  the  traveler  would  perceive  the 
snowy  slopes  and  cool  valleys  of  the  Himalayas,  the  sub- 
mountainous  districts  below  them,  the  level  plains  of  the  Pun- 
jab, the  stifling  sands  of  Sind,  the  arid  deserts  of  Rajputana, 
the  steaming  valley  of  the  Ganges  Basin,  the  rugged  high- 

53 


54  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

lands  of  Central  India,  the  tableland  of  the  Deccan,  the  garden 
province  of  Guzerat,  the  palm-fringed  Malabar  Coast,  the 
rice  fields  of  Burma,  the  rocky  hinterlands  of  the  interior  of 
Southern  India,  the  fertile  coastal  territories  of  Coromandel, 
the  forested  tracts  of  the  Ghauts,  Mysore,  and  the  Wynadde, 
the  rolling  downs  of  Nilgherries,  and  the  tropic  glories  of 
Travancore.  He  would  recognize  in  all  these  varying  scenes 
distinct  countries,  differing  one  from  another  in  aspect  and 
altitude,  in  flora  and  fauna,  and  in  soil  and  climate  as  com- 
pletely as  do  the  peoples  who  inhabit  them  in  race,  religion, 
and  language. 

Meanwhile,  our  hardy  traveler  might  have  experienced 
vicissitudes  of  temperature  and  rainfall  able  to  confound  all 
his  previous  knowledge.  For  instance,  at  Murree  in  the  Punjab 
he  might  have  been  buried  under  six  feet  of  snow;  in  Assam, 
after  drowning  in  a  rainfall  that  exceeds  400  inches  a  year, 
the  process  of  thawing  could  have  been  accelerated  by  a  trip 
to  Jacobabad  in  Sind,  where  the  thermometer  looks  down  at 
130°  shade;  and  for  a  dry  climate  Bickannis  is  hard  to  beat, 
seeing  that  twenty-four  months  may  pass  without  any  rain 
at  all. 

The  people  of  India  described  by  Bishop  Heber 
a  century  ago  are  today  as  he  pictured  them  and 
as  they  were  scores  of  centuries  ago. 

The  earliest  record  of  events  in  the  history  of 
India  is  the  Mahabharatha,  or  great  war,  a  Sanscrit 
epoch  written  some  fifteen  hundred  years  before  the 
birth  of  the  Saviour.  At  the  time  it  was  written, 
settled  government  existed,  and  the  arts  of  civiliza- 
tion had  reached  an  advanced  stage  of  development, 
kingdoms  and  governments  were  fully  organized,  and 
authority  was  handed  down  from  father  to  son  in 
settled  succession.  The  poem  illustrates  the  man- 
ners and  customs  of  the  time  as  well  as  the  traits 


INDIA  AND  HER  PEOPLE  55 

and  usages  of  the  people.  A  good  deal  of  romance 
is  mixed  with  the  narrative. 

At  the  present  time,  the  major  divisions  of  the 
people  exist  with  little  variation  about  as  they  did 
in  the  days  of  the  Mahabharatha,  except  that  the 
Mohammedans,  unknown  at  those  remote  periods, 
have  overrun  the  country  from  north  to  south,  and 
from  east  to  west.  The  followers  of  the  Prophet 
have  never  merged  with  the  Hindus.  They  remain 
to  this  day  quite  distinct  and  separate.  The  old 
Hindu  race,  with  its  numerous  interdivisions,  keeps 
as  aloof  from  other  races  as  it  did  four  thousand 
years  ago,  a  striking  example  of  the  influences  of 
caste  in  keeping  races  apart.  The  minor  divisions 
of  the  people  and  the  nomadic  tribes  remain  also  as 
they  were  centuries  ago. 

The  nature  of  the  Indian  country,  so  largely  agri- 
cultural, makes  the  vast  mass  of  the  population  de- 
pendent on  the  soil.  Irrigation  was  a  science  known 
to  the  Hindus  and  to  the  Mohammedans  many 
centuries  ago.  The  Mahrattas  of  Southern  India, 
the  Rajputs  in  the  North,  and  their  conquerors, 
the  Moguls,  were  irrigation  engineers.  In  Southern 
India  the  dam  of  Madras,  a  solid  mass  of  rough  stones 
one  thousand  feet  in  length,  forty  to  sixty  feet  in 
breadth,  and  fifteen  to  eighteen  feet  in  depth,  which 
stretched  across  the  Cauvery  River,  is  said  to  have 
been  built  in  the  second  century.  In  the  North, 
what  is  today  the  immense  Bari-Doab  Canal  was  the 
Hasli  Canal  of  the  Mogul  Dynasties,  which  carried 
the  water  of  the  Ravi  River  to  the  region  of  Lahore, 
a  distance  of  130  miles.  The  inundation  canals  of 


56  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

Multan  were  the  work  of  the  famous  Mohammedan 
engineer  of  the  16th  century,  Diwar  Sawn  Mai. 

Notwithstanding  these  irrigation  works,  India  has 
ever  been  a  famine-stricken  land.  In  the  ancient 
times  they  were  not  sufficient  to  guard  against  the 
droughts,  and,  moreover,  in  the  vast  extent  of  coun- 
try plenty  might  obtain  in  one  region  and  dearth 
in  others.  In  modern  times  with  the  building  of 
railways  the  means  of  relief  have  been  augmented, 
for  supplies  can  be  quickly  transported  from  one 
district  to  another.  Very  great  improvement  also 
has  been  made  in  the  irrigation  systems  and  the 
area  under  cultivation  has  been  vastly  extended. 
Nevertheless  famines  still  come  with  almost  distress- 
ing regularity. 

In  1897  India  was  subjected  to  one  of  its  great 
periodical  famines.  The  crops  were  a  failure  in 
many  districts.  Hundreds  of  thousands  of  the  na- 
tives were  dying  from  hunger,  fever,  and  other  forms 
of  pestilence.  The  whole  world  was  appealed  to  for 
relief.  The  Viceroy  of  India  formed  a  Government 
Committee  in  Calcutta.  The  Government  of  the 
United  States  lent  its  aid,  and  provided  a  ship  of 
the  Navy  to  carry  the  contributions  made  by  the 
American  people. 

Many  missionaries  in  India  wrote  to  Dr.  Klopsch 
regarding  this  famine,  urging  relief  both  on  the 
grounds  of  humanity  and  as  a  material  aid  to  mis- 
sionary labor.  A  cablegram  from  the  Viceroy  stated 
that  American  aid  would  be  most  welcome.  This 
cablegram  was  published  in  The  Christian  Herald, 
whose  readers  quickly  responded.  A  missionary 


/ 


INDIA  AND  HER  PEOPLE  57 

committee  was  formed  which  included  many  of  the 
leading  American  and  English  missionaries  in  India, 
and  at  the  head  of  which  was  the  distinguished 
Bishop  J.  M.  Thoburn.  To  this  committee,  as  to 
all  missionary  committees  in  subsequent  work  under 
similar  conditions,  was  entrusted  the  duty  of  distri- 
bution, which  was  carried  on  by  systematic  organi- 
zation and  through  business-like  methods. 

Cash  contributions,  as  usual  ranging  from  sums 
less  than  a  dollar  up  to  large  checks,  began  to  flow 
in  in  response  to  The  Christian  Herald  appeal.  For 
the  week  ending  January  23,  1897,  which  covered  the 
first  subscriptions,  the  total  was  $354.64.  For  the 
week  ending  May  1,  1898,  the  total  was  $18,624.70. 
The  amounts  continued  to  aggregate  liberal  sums 
all  through  the  year  so  that  the  cash  relief  which 
could  be  transmitted  was  constant.  Most  of  the 
remittances  were  made  by  cable. 

Another  very  practical  measure  was  characteris- 
tic of  Dr.  Klopsch.  He  chartered  a  steamship,  the 
City  of  Everett,,  and  proceeded  to  collect  grain  which 
could  be  distributed  among  the  starving  natives  of 
India.  Very  liberal  contributions  were  made  and 
the  railroads  and  other  transportation  lines  cooper- 
ated by  giving  cash  freight  refunds.  When  a  full 
cargo  had  been  received  the  City  of  Everett  sailed 
from  San  Francisco  with  the  Rev.  R.  G.  Hobbs  in 
charge  as  the  representative  of  The  Christian  Herald. 

Word  came  back  from  many  sources  of  the  good 
work  that  was  being  accomplished  through  the  funds 
which  Dr.  Klopsch  and  his  constituency  supplied. 
The  Rev.  George  H.  Brock,  a  Baptist  missionary  of 


58  LIFE-WORK  OP  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

Kaniji  in  the  Nellore  District,  wrote  that  the  suffer- 
ing of  the  people  was  terrible  to  witness,  and  it  was 
a  great  help  to  him  when  The  Christian  Herald  sent 
him  a  remittance  from  the  funds  so  generously 
supplied  by  its  readers.  He  set  the  starving  people 
to  work,  he  and  his  helpers  distributing  the  relief 
in  36  villages,  giving  money  or  food  to  the  aged  or 
sick  and  employing  the  able-bodied  in  digging  wells 
and  other  work  which  would  be  a  permanent  bene- 
fit to  the  communities.  Mr.  Brock  had  a  field  of 
missionary  labor  covering  over  a  thousand  square 
miles,  with  a  population  of  140,000.  He  was  as- 
sisted by  27  native  preachers  and  helpers.  Another 
Baptist  missionary  in  the  Nellore  District,  the  Rev. 
E.  Bullard,  wrote  expressing  gratitude  for  the  funds 
received  indirectly  from  The  Christian  Herald^ 

The  Rev.  T.  S.  Johnson,  of  Jabulpur,  wrote  espe- 
cially regarding  the  support  of  orphans  and  describ- 
ing the  method  adopted  in  the  distribution  of  the 
American  grain. 

The  general  plan  adopted  was  first  to  choose  a 
village  where  the  inhabitants  were  aborigines  or 
were  known  to  be  specially  poor.  The  relief  list  of 
the  village  was  scrutinized  and  the  poorer  tenants 
were  selected.  A  signed  ticket  was  then  given  to 
the  tenant  for  a  very  small  sum,  and  he  was  told  to 
come  to  the  store  where  the  grain  was  kept,  present 
his  ticket,  and  receive  dole.  Tickets  of  different 
colors  were  issued  for  different  quantities  of  grain, 
so  that  the  illiterate  people  might  know  the  value 
of  their  tickets  and  get  supplied  with  the  right 
amount.  The  cultivators  were  ready  to  walk  long 
distances  to  the  central  store  to  get  their  supplies. 


INDIA  AND  HER  PEOPLE  59 

The  Rev.  Wm.  Osborne  Ballantine,  of  Rahuri, 
wrote: 

From  early  morning  till  late  at  night  the  driveway  past 
our  gate  is  crowded  —  the  aged,  who  after  all  their  years  of 
hardship  and  scarcity  are  now  dying  of  starvation;  mothers 
with  little  helpless  children  pinched  with  hunger;  other  children 
with  neither  father  nor  mother,  their  ceaseless  crying  ringing 
in  my  ears  as  I  write  —  when  I  tell  you  of  all  this  you  will 
understand  that  we  are  thankful  enough  to  the  good  people  in 
the  home  land  whose  gifts  you  have  forwarded  to  us.  Every 
dollar  we  have  received  from  you  is  regarded  as  a  sacred  trust 
and  is  used  to  do  the  utmost  good  possible.  Thousands  of 
lives  have  been  saved  by  The  Christian  Herald  fund. 

The  Rev.  Dr.  Lambert,  of  the  Mennonite  Church, 
who  went  to  India  as  the  bearer  of  a  large  sum  of 
money  contributed  by  the  members  of  the  Mennonite 
Church  in  America,  on  his  return  to  New  York  called 
to  see  Dr.  Klopsch  and  to  tell  of  the  gratitude  of 
the  people  for  all  that  The  Christian  Herald  readers 
had  done  for  them.  One  missionary  wrote  him  that 
before  the  welcome  help  came  the  death  rate  in  his 
district  which  nominally  was  under  50  in  the  thou- 
sand was  forced  by  starvation  up  to  the  appalling 
figure  of  627  in  the  thousand. 

The  Rev.  Richard  Winsor,  the  American  Board's 
missionary  at  Sirur,  in  a  letter  paid  an  eloquent 
tribute  to  the  generous  work  of  the  readers  of  The 
Christian  Herald.  He  wrote: 

The  year  of  1897  was  a  year  of  years.  We  were  hi  the  midst 
of  a  famine  and  plague.  The  pen  of  a  ready  writer  would 
be  needed  to  describe  the  want,  suffering  and  wretchedness, 
much  of  which  as  we  saw  it  here  can  never  be  made  known. 
When  there  was  not  much  prospect  that  we  would  be  able  to 
furnish  relief  the  scenes  began  to  be  beyond  endurance.  But 


60  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

the  splendid  gifts  from  The  Christian  Herald  and  the  help 
received  from  other  sources  nerved  us  and  equipped  us  for  the 
great  work  there  was  to  do,  and  it  has  been  a  great  work  indeed. 
For  months  our  whole  time  was  given  up  to  the  work,  which 
afforded  us  opportunities  of  becoming  acquainted  with  the 
people  and  of  putting  the  truth  before  them  as  nothing  ever 
before  enabled  us  to  do.  The  people  have  been  blessed,  and 
everywhere  pour  out  their  thanks  for  what  has  been  done  for 
them. 

Another  acknowledgment  came  through  the  Rev. 
J.  E.  Robinson,  Secretary  of  the  Central  Conference 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  India.  Mr. 
Robinson  wrote: 

I  have  great  pleasure  in  forwarding  you  a  copy  of  a  resolu- 
tion passed  unanimously  and  with  great  cordiality  at  the 
recent  central  conference.  I  may  add  that  in  my  editorial 
capacity  numerous  instances  come  under  my  notice  of  the 
grateful  regard  of  those  in  this  land  for  the  good  friends  across 
the  sea  who  write  so  nobly  in  behalf  of  the  suffering  people. 
Their  splendid  service  will  never  be  forgotten. 

The  resolution  was  as  follows: 

At  the  Biennial  session  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
of  India  and  Malaysia,  held  at  Lucknow,  the  following  reso- 
lution was  unanimously  passed :  Resolved,  —  That  the  con- 
ference place  on  record  its  thankful  acknowledgment  of  the 
sympathy  and  generosity  with  which  the  people  of  other 
lands  have  responded  to  the  cry  for  aid  in  the  Indian  famine 
of  1897.  And  that  we  make  special  mention  of  the  great  help 
given  through  the  agency  of  The  Christian  Herald,  and  also 
to  the  Rev.  R.  G.  Hobbs  and  the  Rev.  George  Lambert,  through 
whose  agency  the  ship-load  of  grain  was  distributed  to  the 
famine  sufferers  of  India;  and  that  we  assured  these  gentlemen 
that  not  only  was  their  service  thankfully  accepted  by  all  who 
shared  in  their  gifts  but  also  that  this  exposition  of  international 
friendliness  and  sympathy  has  made  a  profound  and  pleasing 
impression  upon  the  people  of  India  both  rich  and  poor. 


WIDOWS  OF  THE  INDIA  FAMINE 


ORPHAN  CHILDREN  OF  INDIA  SUPPORTED  BY   THE  CHRISTIAN 

HERALD 


INDIA  AND  HER  PEOPLE  61 

Dr.  Hobbs  had  sailed  on  the  City  of  Everett  with 
the  corn  contributed  by  the  friends  of  The  Christian 
Herald.  Dr.  Lambert  had  served  as  a  member  of 
the  International  Missionary  Committee  organized 
by  Bishop  Thoburn  to  distribute  the  fund  and  the 
corn. 

On  his  return  from  India  Dr.  Hobbs  brought  from 
Madras  an  interesting  document  in  the  native  lan- 
guage. It  was  written  on  parchment  and  was  a  mar- 
vel of  delicate  penmanship.  Translated,  it  proved 
to  be  a  message  to  the  readers  of  The  Christian 
Herald.  The  document  was  as  follows: 

INDIA'S  DEEP  GRATITUDE 

THE  ORPHAN  HOME. 
VEYASARPAUDY,  MADRAS. 

To  Dr.  Louis  Klopsch,  Proprietor  of  "  The  Christian 
Herald,"  and  Rev.  R.  G.  Hobbs,  D.D.,  "  The  Chris- 
tian Herald's"  Famine  Commissioner: 

DEAR  SIRS: 

[Here  follows  the  document  in  the  native  language, 
of  which  the  following  is  a  translation.] 

[TRANSLATION.] 

We,  the  undersigned,  workers,  orphans,  and 
scholars  of  the  Madras  Tamil  Mission,  have  been 
impressed  with  the  love  and  generosity  of  the  people 
of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland  in  contributing  such 
large  sums  of  money  for  the  relief  of  the  famine- 
stricken  millions  of  India. 

But  we  feel  profoundly  touched  with  that  love 
which  has  prompted  you  to  raise  in  America  such 
an  enormous  quantity  of  grain  and  a  magnificent  sum 
of  money  to  feed  the  hungry  in  a  foreign  land  like  India. 


62  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

What  a  glorious  calling  to  be  Ambassadors  of  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  and  the  great  American  nation,  in 
bringing  to  our  shores  a  steamer-load  of  grain! 

Realizing,  as  we  do,  the  privations  and  hard- 
ships of  India's  poor,  and  the  comforts  your  cargo 
of  grain  will  bring  to  thousands  of  helpless  women 
and  famishing  children,  we  feel  we  cannot  let  you 
leave  Madras  without  thanking  you  heartily  for 
this  labor  of  love,  and  assure  you  that  God  will 
perform  to  you  personally:  (Hosea  14:  5-6). 

Will  you  kindly  remind  the  readers  of  The  Chris- 
tian Herald  and  your  fellow-citizens  in  America  that 
by  feeding  India's  hungry  millions  they  shall  have 
the  satisfaction  of  having  fed  Jesus  himself.  (Matt. 
25:  35).  If  a  cup  of  cold  water  given  in  Christ's 
name  will  not  lose  its  reward,  will  not  God  perform 
to  them  (Malachai  3:10)? 

We  are,  dear  sirs,  yours  in  Jesus, 


Jfr. 

/.  Mi '. 


0. 


INDIA  AND  HER  PEOPLE  63 

There  was  also  to  Dr.  Klopsch  a  message  of  greet- 
ing and  gratitude  from  the  Methodist  Episcopal  pub- 
lishing house  at  Madras.  The  publishing  house  from 
which  the  testimonial  came  originated  in  the  work 
of  Dr.  A.  W.  Rudisill,  who  went  from  the  Baltimore 
Conference  in  1884  as  a  missionary  to  India.  He 
took  with  him  a  little  printing  press,  the  gift  of  his 
father,  which  was  large  enough  to  print  only  a  page 
of  6  inches  long  and  4  wide.  One  day  Dr.  Rudisill 
set  up  in  type  John  3:16  in  Tamil  characters.  A 
large  number  of  these  small  pages  having  been 
printed  and  circulated,  their  usefulness  was  soon 
demonstrated,  and  Dr.  Rudisill  began  to  agitate  for 
a  full-fledged  printing  establishment.  Contributions 
flowed  in  and  by  the  end  of  1886  enough  money 
was  on  hand  to  set  up  a  press  and  the  necessary 
type  in  the  mission  house.  Later  a  larger  press  was 
secured  and  an  electrotyping  and  photo-engraving 
plant  and  a  bindery  were  added.  Employees  were 
secured  who  could  set  type  in  nearly  all  the  languages 
spoken  in  India.  It  was  from  these  employees,  and 
from  the  orphans  in  the  mission  house,  that  this 
tribute  came: 

To  Louis  Klopsch,  Esq.,  Proprietor  "The  Christian 
Herald": 

DEAR  SIR:  The  Methodist  Episcopal  Publishing 
House,  Madras,  India,  send  you  greetings.  Although 
Providence  has,  in  undeserved  mercy,  preserved  our 
beautiful  city  from  dire  calamities,  our  hearts  bleed 
because  large  portions  of  India  suffer  from  famine, 
pestilence  and  earthquake. 

We,  therefore,  the  undersigned  establishment  of 


64  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

the  Methodist  Episcopal  Publishing  House,  Madras, 
India,  hail  with  joy  the  arrival  in  our  harbor  of 
The  Christian  Herald  Ship  flying  The  Christian  Herald 
Flag.  As  we  look  into  her  now  empty  store-rooms 
and  reflect  that  they  came  filled  with  food  for  India's 
starving  millions,  we  are  overcome  with  amazement 
and  gratitude  at  the  wealth  of  love  that  prompted 
you  to  come  so  grandly  to  the  help  of  this  stricken 
land. 

The  Agent  of  this  Press,  with  a  full  heart,  is  also 
mindful  of  the  fact  that  the  columns  of  The  Christian 
Herald  were  thrown  open  a  few  years  ago  to  aid  the 
then  mere  beginning  of  what  is  now  a  many-sided 
and  extensive  Publishing  House,  which  we  dare 
hope,  through  God's  blessing,  may  be  made  a  power 
for  good  in  India,  as  is  The  Christian  Herald  in 
America  and  other  lands.  The  God  of  peace  be 
with  you. 

We  are,  dear  sir,  yours  cordially, 

A.  W.  RUDISILL,  Agent. 

it  j        T7-  W.  MILES,  Assistant  to  Agent. 

Madras,  India. 

The  second  testimonial  is  also  signed  by  a  number 
of  Tamil,  Telegu,  Canarese,  Hindustani  and  American 
employes  in  the  binding,  envelope,  booklet,  electro- 
typing,  engraving  and  other  departments  of  the  great 
Madras  Publishing  House. 

The  end  of  the  famine  was  told  of  in  a  letter  from 
Bishop  Thoburn  received  late  in  January,  1898. 
The  Bishop  wrote: 

It  is  a  wonderful  relief  to  feel  that  the  famine  is  practically 
over.  Harvests  in  many  districts  are  very  bountiful  and  the 
people  look  hopeful  once  more;  but  it  will  be  many  long  years 
before  the  traces  of  this  awful  visitation  will  wholly  disappear 
from  the  country. 


INDIA  AND  HER  PEOPLE  65 

Some  months  later  Dr.  Klopsch  was  able  to  pub- 
lish the  audited  statement  showing  the  total  receipts 
from  all  sources,  and  particulars  of  the  distribu- 
tion through  the  American  missionaries  and  by 
the  Interdenominational  Committee  of  which  Bishop 
Thoburn  was  chairman,  with  the  cost  of  sending  out 
the  steamer  Everett  with  a  cargo  of  food,  and  also 
the  special  fund  apportioned  among  various  mission- 
aries for  the  support  and  education  of  orphans  whose 
parents  perished  in  the  famine. 

This  statement  showed  cash  contributions  received 
by  The  Christian  Herald  amounting  to  $196,561.68; 
cash  received  from  the  sale  of  grain,  etc.,  $46,810.35; 
cash  freight  refunds  received  from  railroads  and 
transportation  lines,  $13,130.01.  This  made  total 
receipts  from  all  sources  of  $256,502.04.  In  addition 
the  cash  value  in  India  of  the  City  of  Everett's  cargo 
was  placed  at  $150,000.  There  were  also  over- 
pledges  in  the  special  orphan  fund  of  $3,130.72. 
This  meant  that  The  Christian  Herald's  India  relief 
fund  had  amounted  to  more  than  $400,000.  The 
detailed  account  was  given  of  the  disbursements, 
with  the  public  accountant's  certification  that  after 
having  carefully  examined  the  books  of  The  Chris- 
tian Herald  and  diligently  compared  every  voucher, 
receipt,  check,  and  stub,  he  had  found  the  statement 
submitted  to  be  an  accurate  and  true  statement  of 
the  receipts  and  expenditures  in  connection  with 
the  India  famine  fund  under  the  auspices  of  The 
Christian  Herald. 

Official  notification  of  the  result  of  the  Indian 
famine  fund  work  came  in  the  form  of  a  letter  from 


66  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

William  R.  Day,  Assistant  Secretary  of  State,  to 
Dr.  Klopsch.  This  letter  transmitted  copy  of  a  note 
from  the  British  Ambassador  conveying  the  thanks 
of  the  Government  of  India  to  Dr.  Klopsch  and  the 
people  of  the  United  States  for  the  sympathy  they 
had  shown  the  sufferers  from  famine  in  India  by 
gifts  of  grain  and  money.  The  letter  of  the  British 
Ambassador  was  as  follows: 

WASHINGTON,  D.  C. 
HON.  JOHN  SHERMAN, 

Sir:  I  have  received  instructions  from  the  Marquis  of  Salis- 
bury to  inform  you  that  the  Government  of  India  desire  that 
their  grateful  acknowledgment  may  be  tendered  to  the  Govern- 
ment and  to  the  people  of  the  United  States  for  the  generous 
sympathy  they  have  shown  towards  the  sufferers  from  famine 
in  India  by  gifts  of  grain  and  money,  and  Her  Majesty's 
Secretary  of  State  of  India  wishes  to  associate  himself  cordially 
with  these  expressions  of  thanks.  I  have  the  honor  to  transmit 
copy  of  a  dispatch  from  the  Government  of  India  with  its 
enclosures,  and  to  request  you  to  be  good  enough  to  convey 
the  thanks  of  Her  Majesty's  Government  and  of  the  Govern- 
ment of  India  to  Dr.  Klopsch  and  others,  by  whose  exertions 
the  grain  and  money  were  collected. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be,  with  the  highest  consideration,  sir, 
Your  most  obedient  and  humble  servant, 
JULIAN  PAUNCEFOTE. 

Accompanying  the  letter  was  a  document  signed 
by  Lord  Elgin,  the  Viceroy  of  India,  and  his  official 
associates  in  the  government  relief  work,  which  in 
giving  details  said: 

The  Government  and  people  of  India  are  deeply  indebted 
to  the  Government  of  the  United  States  for  the  assistance  thus 
rendered  in  the  mitigation  of  suffering  from  famine;  and  in 


INDIA  AND  HER  PEOPLE  67 

particular  to  Dr.  Klopsch,  proprietor  of  the  New  York  Christian 
Herald,  and  the  many  other  persons,  by  whose  exertions  the 
grain  and  money  received  in  India  have  been  collected. 

There  was  also  a  letter  from  Bishop  Thoburn,  in 
which  further  particulars  were  given  of  the  distribu- 
tion of  The  Christian  Herald  funds. 


CHAPTER    V 

THE   GREAT   INDIA   FAMINE  RELIEF 

WHEN  FIVE  MILLIONS  PACED  STARVATION FUNDS  CABLED  BY  THE  "CHRISTIAN 

HERALD"  —  SPEEDING  THE  RELIEF  SHIP  "QUITO"  —  PRESIDENT  MCKINLET'S 

PRACTICAL  SYMPATHY DR.   KLOPSCH's  VISIT  TO  THE  STRICKEN  LAND 

HIS  GRAPHIC  STORY  OF  SCENES  OF  SUFFERING VIVID  PEN  PICTURES  OF  CITY 

AND  COUNTRY ARRIVAL  OF  THE  "  QUITO " CARGO  DISTRIBUTED MORE 

FUNDS  —  MISSIONARIES'  TESTIMONIALS  —  DR.  KLOPSCH'S  RETURN  TO  THE 
UNITED  STATES  —  SUMMARY  OF  RECEIPTS  AND  EXPENDITURES. 

INDIA'S  freedom  from  starvation  was  brief.  It 
lasted  less  than  three  years,  though  usually  there 
had  been  .an  interval  of  nineteen  or  twenty 
years.  But  before  the  people  had  had  time  to 
recover  from  the  appalling  suffering  of  1897  and  1898 
the  monsoon,  the  rain-bringing,  life-giving  wind  from 
the  south,  had  again  failed  and  the  crops  were 
withered. 

In  November,  1899,  the  existence  of  the  famine  was 
officially  recognized.  At  that  time  about  400,000 
peasants  were  affected.  But  it  spread  rapidly  and 
in  the  succeeding  year  fertile  districts  which  had 
suffered  no  such  visitation  within  a  century  found 
that  the  crops  were  failing.  The  famine  area  was 
extending  with  fearful  rapidity.  Soon  there  were 
1,000,000  sufferers,  then  2,000,000  were  in  need  of 
aid.  Not  long  after  that  the  figures  mounted  to 
3,000,000  to  4,000,000,  and  finally  there  were 
5,000,000  natives  on  the  verge  of  starvation. 

Late  in  1900  letters  began  to  reach  the  United 

68 


69 

States  telling  of  the  conditions.  Every  mail  brought 
appeals  for  aid.  Missionary  after  missionary  wrote 
to  Dr.  Klopsch  reciting  the  ominous  news,  and  again 
asked  his  help  in  appealing  to  Christian  people.  So 
generous  had  been  the  response  to  the  call  for  funds 
two  years  previously  that  he  felt  reluctant  to  plead 
again  for  the  same  country.  It  seemed  as  if  America 
had  done  enough  for  India.  But  he  found  it  impossi- 
ble to  turn  a  deaf  ear  to  the  stories  of  suffering  which 
every  mail  brought  him.  It  was  by  no  fault  of  their 
own  that  the  natives  of  India  were  bowed  under  a 
visitation  closely  following  on  the  heels  of  a  former 
calamity.  It  was  impossible  to  incur  the  responsi- 
bility of  keeping  silence  in  view  of  the  reports  of 
distress  and  the  earnest  prayers  for  help  that  came 
from  the  missionaries.  The  facts  had  to  be  told 
and  the  matter  left  in  the  hands  of  the  American 
people  to  say  whether  the  starving  women  and  chil- 
dren of  whom  such  harrowing  accounts  were  received 
should  live  or  die. 

The  confidence  of  the  missionaries  in  India  that 
their  appeal  would  not  go  unheeded  was  expressed 
in  their  letters.  The  pictures  they  drew  of  the  con- 
ditions were  convincing  of  the  need  of  aid. 

Before  the  contributions  from  the  readers  of  The 
Christian  Herald  could  begin  to  be  received  in 
appreciable  amounts  Dr.  Klopsch  cabled  $5,000  to 
be  divided  equally  among  five  missionaries  who  were 
named.  Four  of  these  were  Americans  and  the 
fifth  was  Pundita  Ramabai. 

More  urgent  appeals  came,  showing  the  need  of 
prompt  work,  and  Dr.  Klopsch  thereupon  cabled 


70  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

another  $10,000.  The  money  was  sent  direct  to 
Bishop  J.  M.  Thoburn,  who  had  been  chairman  of 
the  Interdenominational  Committee  in  the  famine 
of  1897.  This  Committee  had  special  facilities  for 
ascertaining  which  districts  were  in  the  greatest  need. 

It  soon  became  evident  that  grain  would  have  to  be 
shipped  in  from  other  countries.  Letters  and  cable- 
grams represented  the  need  of  relief  as  so  urgent, 
and  the  condition  of  the  sufferers  as  so  appalling, 
that  in  order  to  save  thousands  who  would  otherwise 
perish  it  was  decided  to  forward  grain  with  all  dis- 
patch. The  plan  was  to  equip  a  flying  relief  ship  to 
carry  a  load  of  American  corn  to  Bombay.  With 
this  object  in  view  Dr.  Klopsch  cabled  the  British 
Government  announcing  the  readiness  of  Christian 
America  to  give  of  its  abundant  products  to  save 
lives  in  far-off  India,  and  requested  that  transporta- 
tion be  provided  for  the  projected  cargo.  To  this 
message  the  British  Government,  after  communicat- 
ing with  the  Viceroy's  Committee  in  India,  replied 
that  the  Indian  Government  was  deeply  grateful  for 
renewed  American  sympathy  and  would  pay  the 
transport  provided  the  cargo  was  placed  at  the  dis- 
posal of  the  Central  Committee  of  famine  relief. 

It  happened  that  during  the  closing  months  of  the 
famine  of  1897-98  the  Navy  Department  had  been 
authorized  to  send  out  a  ship  with  a  relief  cargo, 
but  happily  the  suffering  had  ended  before  this 
could  be  done.  Dr.  Klopsch  at  once  moved  to  secure 
the  ship  from  the  Navy  Department  for  the  present 
emergency.  This  was  done  by  the  cooperation  of 
Secretary  of  State  Hay  with  Secretary  of  the  Navy 


THE  GREAT  INDIA  FAMINE  RELIEF  71 

Long.  The  Quito  was  obtained  and  appeals  were  at 
once  sent  out  for  contributions  to  her  cargo.  They 
came  from  every  corner  of  the  land,  until  200,000 
bushels  of  grain  were  loaded  on  the  ship,  which  lay 
at  the  dock  in  Brooklyn.  There  was  probably  not 
a  church  organization  or  society  in  the  land  which 
failed  to  share  in  the  life  saving  work.  Little  village 
communities  and  agricultural  groups  in  the  great 
corn  growing  states  loaded  up  cars  with  corn  and 
sent  them  on  to  swell  the  relief  ship's  cargo.  In  all 
5,000  tons,  or  200,000  bushels,  were  taken  aboard. 
In  addition  to  the  corn  there  was  a  quantity  of 
seeds  suitable  for  sowing  in  India. 

While  the  relief  cargo  of  grain  was  being  gathered, 
the  work  of  collecting  money  and  transmitting  it 
directly  continued.  Lord  Curzon,  the  Viceroy  of 
India,  transmitted  to  the  Government  of  the  United 
States  a  dispatch  showing  the  extent  of  the  calamity, 
and  indicating  that  while  the  Indian  Government  was 
devoting  its  energies  to  fulfilling  its  duty  to  save 
5,000,000  persons  from  starvation,  contributions 
from  American  friends  of  India  would  be  thankfully 
received  and  would  be  devoted  to  the  material  relief 
of  the  suffering.  The  dispatch  was  brought  to  the 
attention  of  Dr.  Klopsch  in  the  following  letter  from 
the  Assistant  Secretary  of  State: 

DEPARTMENT  OF  STATE, 
WASHINGTON,  D.  C.,  March  24,  1900. 
DEAR  MR.  KLOPSCH:    Recalling  your  interest  in  the  busi- 
ness of   Cuban   relief   in    1898   and  your  efforts  to  assuage 
suffering  in  Russia,  India  and  Armenia,  I  take  the  liberty  of 
sending  you  a  copy  of  a  press  item  which  has  just  been  given  out 


72  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

expressing  the  willingness  of  the  Indian  Government  to  receive 
famine  contributions  from  this  country. 

Very  cordially  yours, 

ALVEY  A.  ADEE. 

President  McKinley,  who  had  taken  a  personal 
interest  in  seeing  that  the  action  of  Congress  in 
providing  for  the  charter  of  the  Quito  for  the  relief 
in  1897-98  was  made  effective  in  the  present 
famine,  showed  his  interest  in  The  Christian  Herald 
relief  movement  by  contributing  $100.  Secretary 
Hay  did  the  same. 

Reports  of  the  suffering  and  misery  of  the  people 
of  India  had  become  so  appalling  that  in  order  to 
save  time  and  get  the  relief  to  them  at  the  earliest 
possible  moment,  early  in  April  The  Christian  Herald 
cabled  an  additional  remittance  of  $25,000.  It  was 
a  most  welcome  gift  and  was  the  Easter  offering 
of  the  American  people.  Within  a  short  time  Dr. 
Klopsch  was  able  to  announce  that  the  whole  nation 
was  helping  India,  its  great  heart  having  been 
touched  by  the  woes  of  that  famine-stricken  land. 
But  he  knew  the  end  was  not  yet.  Therefore  early 
in  April  he  announced  that  he  himself  would  pro- 
ceed to  India  to  render  what  aid  might  be  given  by 
his  personal  presence.  He  went  first  to  London, 
where  he  had  an  interview  with  Lord  George  Ham- 
ilton, the  British  Secretary  of  State  for  India,  who 
discussed  with  him  the  plans  for  the  relief  work. 
Lord  Hamilton  expressed  the  warmest  appreciation 
of  America's  generous  aid  to  India.  He  gave  to 
Dr.  Klopsch  letters  of  introduction  to  Lord  Curzon, 
the  Viceroy,  and  to  several  other  high  officials. 


THE  GREAT  INDIA  FAMINE  RELIEF  73 

In  the  meantime  the  arrangements  were  completed 
for  the  sailing  of  the  Quito.  The  cargo  was  insured, 
and  was  valued  at  $100,000,  which  at  the  famine 
rates  at  which  corn  was  then  selling  in  India  was 
equal  to  $300,000  worth  of  corn  in  Bombay.  The 
ship's  charter  cost  $40,000,  which  was  paid  by  the 
generosity  of  the  United  States  Government. 

The  Quito  sailed  from  Brooklyn  on  May  10th. 
From  topmast  to  deck  the  vessel  was  dressed  with 
the  flags  of  all  nations,  her  commander,  Captain 
Baird,  having  run  up  The  Christian  Herald  flag 
and  streamer  on  the  foremast  right  below  the  Stars 
and  Stripes.  There  was  a  programme  of  praise  ser- 
vices, with  remarks  by  the  Rev.  R.  G.  Hobbs,  who 
had  accompanied  The  Christian  Herald  famine  ship 
City  of  Everett  to  India  in  1897,  Commander  Booth 
Tucker  of  the  Salvation  Army,  Rev.  S.  T.  Willis, 
Rev.  Richard  Winsor,  Rev.  A.  C.  Dixon,  and  the 
Countess  Schimmelmann.  The  prayer  for  blessing 
on  the  ship  and  cargo  was  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Neeld. 

Theodore  Roosevelt,  then  Governor  of  New  York, 
sent  a  note  in  which  he  conveyed  "the  heartiest  ac- 
knowledgments on  behalf  of  the  people  of  this  State 
on  the  splendid  work  you  have  done."  A  letter  was 
read  from  President  McKinley,  regretting  that  the 
pressure  of  public  duties  prevented  him  from  being 
present  at  the  ceremonies.  "It  would  have  given 
me,"  he  wrote,  "peculiar  pleasure  to  be  with  you  on 
this  occasion.  The  success  of  this  work  is  eminently 
gratifying  to  me,  as  it  must  be  not  only  to  those 
immediately  engaged  but  to  the  country  at  large." 

Secretary  Hay  wrote,  "I  should  be  very  glad  if 


74  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

it  were  possible  to  be  present  at  the  departure  of  the 
vessel  which  has  been  freighted  by  our  philanthropic 
citizens  through  the  agency  of  The  Christian  Herald 
to  relieve  the  terrible  calamity  which  is  now  devas- 
tating India,  and  to  testify  the  interest  I  have  taken 
in  the  work  you  have  so  nobly  done;  but  I  greatly 
regret  that  engagements  from  which  I  cannot  free 
myself  detain  me  here."  Secretary  Long  also  wrote 
expressing  regrets  at  his  inability  to  be  present. 

While  the  ship  was  on  its  way  Dr.  Klopsch  was 
hastening  to  India.  He  left  New  York  in  April  and 
arrived  in  Bombay  Saturday,  May  12th.  He  found 
the  situation  so  appalling  and  the  need  for  imme- 
diate help  so  urgent  that  he  placed  a  large  sum  at 
the  disposal  of  the  Interdenominational  Missionary 
Committee  for  the  relief  work,  thus  again  consider- 
ably anticipating  the  contributions  as  he  had  done 
on  other  occasions.  He  cabled  briefly  telling  of  his 
meeting  the  Governor  of  Bombay  and  of  addressing 
the  members  of  the  Interdenominational  Missionary 
Committee.  He  then  started  for  the  interior. 

A  graphic  story  of  the  suffering  as  seen  by  Dr. 
Klopsch's  sympathetic  eyes,  and  a  vivid  picture  of 
the  conditions,  was  given  by  his  own  pen.  Extracts 
from  his  account  of  his  tour  in  India  as  published  in 
The  Christian  Herald  show  how  deeply  the  scenes  of 
suffering  moved  him  and  how  he  sought  to  alleviate 
it.  He  wrote: 

"Famine  in  India!  How  I  dread  to  write  about 
it!  What  pen  can  adequately  portray  the  scenes 
which  my  eyes  have  witnessed?  Scenes  of  desola- 
tion, of  pain,  of  suffering,  of  hopeless  despair,  of 


THE  GREAT  INDIA  FAMINE  RELIEF  75 

heart  anguish,  of  death!  And  what  a  death!  Lin- 
gering, agonizing,  torturous,  terrible!  An  indescrib- 
able death,  coming  on  gradually;  slowly,  but  surely 
tightening  its  grip,  until  its  victim,  consciously  help- 
less, the  eyes  abnormally  distended  and  unnaturally 
lustrous,  sinks  down  overcome  with  dread  apprehen- 
sion. Then  a  feeble  but  fruitless  effort  to  rise  again, 
a  protracted,  spasmodic  gurgle,  an  occasional  revivi- 
fication; a  final,  prolonged,  appealing,  anxious,  de- 
spairing look,  the  death  rattle,  and  all  is  over.  Then 
the  funeral!  If  the  undertaker  be  a  jackal  or  a  vul- 
ture, it  may  possibly  be  imagined,  but  it  should 
never  be  described.  Otherwise,  the  body  is  burned, 
and  its  ashes  fertilize  the  sun-baked,  kiln-dried, 
sterile  ground. 

"I  had  fully  expected  to  witness  great  distress, 
intense  suffering,  yes,  even  death.  I  realized  my 
own  feebleness  in  the  face  of  so  great  a  calamity.  I 
had  nerved  myself  for  the  mission  in  hand;  yet,  I 
was  in  nowise  prepared  for  the  dreadful,  shocking 
state  of  affairs  I  was  called  upon  to  encounter.  On 
the  Red  Sea  and  the  Indian  Ocean,  while  sweltering 
in  a  range  of  temperature  and  a  degree  of  humidity 
to  which  I  was  wholly  unaccustomed,  fellow-pas- 
sengers had  endeavored  to  convey  to  my  mind  some 
idea  of  the  sad,  heartrending  scenes  one  is  apt  to 
meet  with  in  the  famine  territory;  but  had  I  the 
power  to  intensify  a  thousand  times  all  I  heard,  when 
face  to  face  with  the  dreaded  reality,  I  should  have 
felt  even  then  that  'the  half  had  not  been  told.' 

"On  the  day  of  our  arrival,  the  streets  of  Bombay 
were  literally  alive  with  walking  skeletons.  Every 
step  of  the  way  we  were  beset  and  besieged  by  men, 
women  and  children  in  the  last  stages  of  destitution, 
piteously  begging  for  a  mite  that  they  might  eat  and 
live.  They  prostrated  themselves  before  us,  calling 
upon  us  as  the  'Protectors  of  the  poor,  our  Father 


76  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

and  Mother,  our  King  and  our  God/  to  save  them 
from  starvation. 

"They  lifted  up  their  hands  in  earnest  supplica- 
tion, and  uttered  their  petitions  while  vigorously 
slapping  their  naked,  hollow  stomachs  to  indicate 
that  for  a  long  time  they  had  had  nothing  to  eat. 
They  held  out  their  hands  with  a  beseeching  look, 
hoping  that  we  might  drop  a  coin  that  would  pur- 
chase at  least  enough  food  to  satisfy  their  hunger 
just  for  an  hour.  Gaunt  men,  emaciated  women 
with  parched  bosoms,  nursing  shriveled,  diminutive, 
hollow-eyed,  sickly  babies;  children  with  legs  and 
arms  like  clothes-pins,  every  rib  plainly  visible,  all 
ran  toward  us  and  after  us,  completely  surrounding 
the  carriage  and  entreating  us  every  step  of  the 
way. 

"I  was  tempted  to  give  them  all  I  had,  but  Rev. 
Mr.  Frease,  who  accompanied  me,  begged  me  not  to 
do  it,  fearing  if  we  gave  to  some  that  the  rest  would 
become  frantic  and  endanger  our  safety.  'Where 
do  these  unfortunate  people  come  from?'  I  asked. 
'They  come  from  the  villages  in  families  and  groups 
to  the  larger  cities,  hoping  there  to  be  able  to  beg 
enough  to  keep  them  alive,'  was  the  reply.  'How 
many  of  them  are  there  in  Bombay?'  'Tens  of 
thousands,'  responded  my  companion.  'The  muni- 
cipality sent  seven  thousand  by  rail  to  the  Relief 
Camp  at  Thana,  twenty-five  miles  away,  the  other 
day,  but  six  thousand  left  in  one  night  and  returned 
to  the  city,  walking  the  entire  distance.' 

"All  along  the  drive  of  over  two  miles,  between 
our  hotel  and  the  Marathi  Mission,  doorways,  stoops 
and  curbstones  were  occupied  by  these  helpless  un- 
fortunates, many  of  them  more  than  three-fourths 
naked  and  all  of  them  miserably  clad.  The  most 
persistent  in  their  entreaties  were  the  nursing  moth- 
ers, and  nearly  every  other  woman  belonged  to  that 


THE  GREAT  INDIA  FAMINE  RELIEF  77 

class,  and  the  saddest  sight  of  all  were  the  poor 
child  mothers,  themselves  in  need  of  maternal 
attention,  hugging  their  emaciated,  hollow-templed 
and  sunken-eyed  babies  with  an  intensity  of  affec- 
tion that  almost  broke  our  hearts  to  witness  —  par- 
ticularly in  view  of  our  own  utter  helplessness  to 
relieve  their  distress. 

"Houseless  and  homeless,  these  unfortunates  sleep 
in  the  streets  of  Bombay  at  night.  They  lie  down 
just  where  they  happen  to  find  themselves  when  tired- 
ness overtakes  them,  and  it  is  no  exaggeration  to  say 
that  I  have  seen  as  many  as  five  hundred  asleep  on 
the  sidewalk  of  a  single  block,  lying  so  closely  that 
it  was  almost  impossible  to  thread  one's  way  through 
the  maze.  In  the  less  frequented  streets  they  sleep 
also  in  the  driveways,  and  in  order  to  drive  through 
without  accident  it  is  necessary  to  send  an  advance 
courier  to  wake  up  the  sleepers.  Of  course,  they 
have  neither  bed  nor  covering,  and  to  see  the  little 
ones  on  the  hard  stones  cuddle  up  to  their  mothers 
was  one  of  the  most  pathetic,  touching  sights  that 
I  have  ever  witnessed. 

"As  in  the  city,  so  along  the  country  roads  of  the 
famine  district,  there  are  constant  streams  of  grim, 
gaunt,  hungry,  despairing  people,  bound  from  the 
villages  for  the  relief  stations;  for  the  Famine  Code 
requires  the  starving  to  break  up  their  homes  and 
travel  from  fifteen  to  twenty  miles,  yes,  sometimes 
over  thirty  miles,  in  order  to  obtain  relief.  Hence, 
no  wonder  that  along  the  sun-baked,  kiln-dried 
roads  of  famine-stricken  India,  dead  bodies  have 
strewn  the  way  and  sickened  the  hearts  of  our 
missionaries,  and  that  when  certain  death  stares 
these  wanderers  in  the  face  they,  as  a  last  resort, 
offer  their  children  for  sale  at  a  few  annas  each,  in 
the  hope  that  such  a  course  will  ensure  the  lives  of 
the  little  ones  and  enable  their  parents  to  journey 


78  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

further  on,  with  a  prospect  of  getting  to  where  relief 
awaits  them! 


"We  journeyed  150  miles  south,  and  200  miles 
north,  of  Bombay.  Desolation  and  death  were 
written  all  over  the  famine  district.  A  more  dis- 
couraging condition  could  not  well  be  imagined. 
For  miles  and  miles  not  a  blade  of  grass!  The  sun 
relentlessly  sent  its  destructive  rays  on  man  and 
beast.  The  hot  soil,  hard-baked,  refracted  the  heat 
and  rendered  life  a  burden.  Crowds  of  human 
beings,  emaciated  and  debilitated,  moved  from  place 
to  place  in  vain  search  for  food,  mutely  appealing 
for  help  that  never  came.  Cattle,  reduced  to  very 
skeletons,  feebly  crept  about  in  quest  of  fodder,  and 
in  lieu  of  it  licked  the  hot  soil  as  though  to  propi- 
tiate its  anger.  Trees,  stripped  of  all  their  bark  to 
the  very  tips,  stood  out  like  white  skeletons  against 
the  cruel,  fiery  sky.  Vultures,  perched  on  leafless 
branches,  listlessly  waited  for  victims.  Not  a  breath 
was  stirring.  The  silence  of  death  had  settled  upon 
the  country.  I  feel  it  now  as  I  write,  so  much  so 
that  the  scratching  of  the  pen  seems  harsh  and  intru- 
sive. There  is  something  uncanny  about  this  silence. 
It  enters  one's  very  being  and  benumbs  one's  senses. 
It  kills  ambition.  The  desire  for  life  passes  away 
and  an  absolute  indifference  to  fate  takes  its  place. 
We  were  in  the  great  graveyard  of  India.  It  covered 
350,000  square  miles,  equal  to  any  eight  States  west 
of  the  Mississippi.  Death  and  decay  were  round 
about  us  on  every  hand.  Possibly  we  might  never 
again  get  beyond  its  confines.  -Who  could  tell! 
Awful  as  it  was,  we  did  not  realize  it  then,  for  that 
required  thought,  and  this  ominous,  deathlike  silence 
paralyzed  thought. 

"One  experience  which  stands  out  from  all  the 


THE  GREAT  INDIA  FAMINE  RELIEF  79 

others  most  distinctly  in  my  mind,  is  our  visit  to 
Ahmedabad.  We  got  there  about  half-past  five 
in  the  evening,  and  without  waiting  to  visit  the 
accommodations  provided  for  our  entertainment  we 
hastened  to  the  poor-house. 

"On  the  shadeless  plaza  before  the  gate  were 
nearly  250  reeking,  filthy  bundles  of  rags,  containing 
as  many  human  beings  in  various  stages  of  emaci- 
ation, some  standing,  some  squatting  in  Oriental 
fashion  on  the  ground,  others  lying  flat  on  their  backs, 
and  still  others  lying  with  their  faces  to  the  ground, 
in  order  to  screen  themselves  from  the  burning  rays 
of  the  evening  sun.  The  thermometer  ranged  at 
about  110  deg.  in  the  shade;  not  a  breath  of  air  was 
blowing,  and  the  heat  and  stench  contributed  to 
make  us  physically  as  ill  at  ease  as  the  sad  scenes  of 
destitution,  misery,  pain  and  helplessness  made  us 
so  mentally.  It  seemed  impossible  that  any  part 
of  the  great  human  family  could  reach  such  depth 
of  misery  as  was  everywhere  visible. 

"On  inquiring  why  these  people  were  exposed  to 
the  relentless  rays  of  the  sun  without  shelter  or 
shade,  I  was  told  that  they  had  been  brought  in  from 
the  neighboring  villages  on  carts  and  were  to  remain 
under  observation  for  twenty-four  hours  in  order  to 
determine  whether  symptoms  of  contagious  disease 
developed.  They  had  come  in  during  the  afternoon, 
they  had  lain  there  for  three  or  four  hours,  they 
were  to  remain  there  all  night  and  to  stay  there 
all  the  next  forenoon.  Possibly  the  evening  of  the 
next  day  they  would  be  admitted  to  the  inhospitable 
shelter  of  the  Ahmedabad  poor-house.  Myriads  of 
flies  were  feasting  on  each  individual  bundle,  and  the 
eyelids,  mouths,  nostrils  and  ears  were  all  besieged 
with  battalions  of  flies  gorging  themselves  on  the 
helpless  victims  of  the  India  famine. 

"The  most  distressing  phase  of  all  this  indescri- 


80  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

bable  misery  was  the  dear  little  children  who  seemed 
to  be  in  constant  agony,  internal  and  external. 
They  did  not  cry  aloud,  because  they  lacked  the 
vital  inner  force  for  such  effort;  though  their  faces 
were  constantly  crying  no  sound  was  heard,  and  as 
we  looked  at  these  innocent,  helpless  little  things  — 
so  emaciated,  hollow-templed,  sunken-eyed,  the  nape 
of  the  neck  so  sharply  indented  under  the  skull  that 
the  head  looked  abnormally  large  and  ill-supported 
—  the  burden  of  sympathetic  grief  became  almost 
unbearable.  Sometimes  tears  rolled  down  their 
cheeks,  and  the  mother  sitting  next  to  the  child 
would  wipe  the  tears  away  with  a  part  of  her  dirty, 
filthy  garment,  and  something  like  a  sigh  would 
escape  to  indicate  the  depth  of  sorrow  that  was 
laying  hold  upon  her  heart.  As  we  stood  there 
watching  this  motley  crowd,  overawed,  as  it  seemed, 
by  dozens  of  tall,  skeletonized  men  with  long  beards 
and  large,  abnormally  lustrous  eyes  peering  out  of 
depressed  sockets,  half  inquisitive,  half  reflective, 
our  attention  was  directed  to  two  groups  of  burden- 
bearers,  each  group  bearing  a  cot;  one  set  bound 
for  the  poor-house,  the  other  set  coming  from  it. 
On  the  cot  bound  for  the  poor-house  was  a  man 
about  twenty  years  of  age,  long  and  thin,  sheltering 
with  his  hand  his  eyes  from  the  sun.  He  was  a 
fever  patient,  and  was  going  in  for  treatment.  On 
the  other  cot  was  a  man  who  had  received  'treat- 
ment,' and  was  now  bound  for  the  funeral  pile, 
where  fourteen  were  to  be  burned  that  evening. 

"We  went  into  the  poor-house  where  over  a  thou- 
sand people  in  various  stages  of  nudity  and  emacia- 
tion were  seated  on  the  ground,  waiting  to  be  served. 
It  was  time  for  the  evening  meal.  We  left  them  for 
the  time  being,  and,  taking  a  turn  sidewise  we  en- 
tered the  hospital  section,  which  was  the  worst,  with 
one  or  two  exceptions,  that  I  had  occasion  to  visit. 


THE  GREAT  INDIA  FAMINE  RELIEF  81 

We  first  went  through  the  cholera  wards,  and  there 
in  every  ward  we  found  dead  bodies  on  the  cots  or 
on  the  ground.  Every  fifth  or  sixth  cot  had  a  corpse 
on  it.  I  asked  why  they  were  not  removed,  and  an 
attendant  replied  that  the  victims  had  died  after 
twelve  o'clock  noon,  in  which  case  there  is  no  re- 
moval until  the  time  for  burning,  which  is  eight  in 
the  evening.  It  was  a  gruesome  sight  to  see  these 
dead  men  and  women,  with  expressions  of  intensest 
agony  on  their  faces,  lying  there;  and  the  only  com- 
forting thought  was  that  they  were  beyond  suffering, 
and  that  the  famine  in  India,  with  its  plague,  its 
cholera,  its  smallpox  and  its  fever,  could  no  longer 
affect  them. 

"Down  in  a  corner  of  one  of  the  wards,  in  which 
we  had  found  three  dead  bodies,  lay  a  tall,  broad- 
shouldered  man,  stone  dead.  He  had  died  during 
the  afternoon.  Back  of  him  was  his  little  four-year- 
old  girl,  tenderly  fondling  him  and  vainly  endeavoring 
to  attract  his  attention.  Her  face  seemed  to  indi- 
cate that  she  was  beginning  to  realize  that  something 
was  amiss;  and  yet  there  was  her  father,  and  what 
she  apprehended  vaguely  could  not  very  well  be, 
so  long  as  he  was  there.  We  stood  looking  on,  our 
hearts  almost  breaking  and  the  tears  coursing  down 
our  cheeks,  when  a  little  commotion  at  the  entrance 
to  the  ward  claimed  our  attention.  They  were 
bringing  in  the  patient  whom  we  had  seen  on  the 
cot  outside,  and  who  required  medical  treatment. 
The  attendant  lifted  him  up  and  raised  him  on  his 
feet,  then  supporting  him  on  one  side,  the  feeble 
patient  staggering  as  best  he  could  with  the  aid  of 
this  support,  he  walked  him  to  the  corner  and  placed 
him  down  on  the  ground,  face  to  face  with  the  dead 
man  whose  little  child  was  fondling  him.  The  thing 
took  but  a  few  moments,  but  the  horror  of  the  situa- 
tion so  appalled  us  that,  for  the  moment,  we  were 


82  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

stupefied.  It  seemed  impossible  that  any  one  could 
commit  so  unnatural  an  act.  We  called  the  attention 
of  the  man  to  what  he  was  doing.  We  asked  him 
why  he  did  not  make  room  elsewhere  for  the  patient. 
He  replied  that  within  an  hour  the  dead  man  would 
be  removed  and  the  patient  then  could  have  the 
whole  corner  to  himself. 

"The  worst  that  has  ever  been  written  about  the 
suffering  among  the  60,000,000  of  people  affected 
by  the  famine  in  India  fails  even  to  approximate 
the  actual  condition  of  affairs.  It  is  absolutely  im- 
possible to  exaggerate  the  truth.  The  statement 
that  millions  are  starving  gives  but  a  very  general 
idea  of  what  is  actually  taking  place.  To  illustrate 
what  fearful  suffering  prevails  there,  let  me  give  you 
this  instance  from  my  own  experience  while  visiting 
the  famine  districts: 

"We  arrived  at  Dohad,  in  Gujarat,  the  Garden  of 
India,  at  ten  minutes  after  one  of  the  afternoon  of 
May  the  24th.  Dr.  J.  H.  McNeill,  the  Irish  Presby- 
terian missionary  located  there,  was  at  the  station. 
Within  five  minutes  I  was  seated  in  his  cart  and  on 
the  way  to  what  until  recently  was  one  of  the  largest 
relief  camps.  As  far  as  the  eye  could  see  there  was 
not  a  blade  of  vegetation.  The  heat  was  intense; 
the  thermometer  indicated  108  degrees.  A  hot,  blind- 
ing sandstorm  filled  our  eyes  and  nostrils  with 
microbe-laden  dust,  and  the  all-pervading  stench 
from  putrefying  bodies  impregnated  clothes,  hair 
and  skin.  Cholera  had  broken  out  a  short  time 
before  and  2,400  famine  sufferers  had  died  within  a 
few  days  and  had  been  buried  in  shallow  ground. 
Decomposition  speedily  set  in  and  impregnated  the 
ground  with  death-dealing  malodor.  Then  the  bodies 
were  disinterred  and  burned.  There  were  no  disin- 
fectants, hence  the  awful,  sickening,  disease-spread- 
ing, suffocating  stench.  At  the  outbreak  of  the 


THE  GREAT  INDIA  FAMINE  RELIEF  83 

cholera  the  camp  stampeded  and  6,000  infected,  half- 
starved  people  spread  contagion  for  miles  around. 
At  the  hospital  I  was  appalled  at  the  shocking  con- 
dition of  affairs  with  which  at  that  moment  I  came 
face  to  face,  and  that  I  ever  got  out  of  Dohad  alive 
is  one  of  the  greatest  of  the  many  incontrovertible 
evidences  of  God's  kind  protecting  care  which  my 
life  has  experienced. 

"We  found  550  miserable  human  beings  in  the 
worst  stages  of  emaciation.  In  sixteen  days  374 
had  been  admitted,  and  of  these  all  but  twenty  had 
died.  Others  had  been  received  since  then,  and  now 
men,  women  and  children,  some  of  them  absolutely 
nude,  and  all  the  others  miserably  clad,  were  lying 
around  suffering  from  relapsing  fever,  cholera  and 
dysentery,  wallowing  in  the  mire.  Millions  of  flies 
were  permitted  undisturbed  to  pester  the  unhappy 
victims.  One  young  woman  who  had  lost  every  one 
dear  to  her,  and  had  turned  stark  mad,  sat  at  the 
door  vacantly  staring  at  the  awful  scenes  around 
her.  In  the  entire  hospital  I  did  not  see  a  single 
decent  garment.  Rags,  nothing  but  rags  and  dirt. 
A  native  hospital  attendant  was  standing  at  the  cot 
of  a  dying  man.  The  death-rattle  had  already  set 
in,  but  the  vitality  of  the  patient  held  out  a  little 
beyond  the  expected  time,  and  the  attendant  seemed 
provoked  at  the  delay,  and  gave  us  impatiently  to 
understand  that  the  man  should  have  been  dead 
long  ago." 

Vivid  descriptions  were  given  of  the  visits  to 
Baroda,  Godhra,  as  well  as  Dohad  —  all  three  in 
one  day  —  and  the  fearful  scenes  of  death  and  suffer- 
ing witnessed,  but  happily  they  are  long  past  and  the 
harrowing  story  need  not  be  repeated.  Dr.  Klopsch 
continued  his  journey  and  everywhere  was  welcomed 
by  the  missionaries,  the  officials  of  the  Indian  Gov- 


84  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

eminent,  and  the  suffering  natives  whose  distress 
he  was  doing  so  much  to  alleviate. 

Dr.  R.  A.  Hume,  the  famous  missionary  of  Ahmed- 
nagar  who  received  a  decoration  from  the  Indian 
Government  for  his  famine  work,  was  a  great  friend 
of  Dr.  Klopsch  and  warmly  welcomed  his  coming 
and  seconded  his  efforts. 

Dr.  Klopsch  was  invited  to  visit  the  Taj  Mahal 
at  Agra  "the  most  beautiful  tomb  in  the  world,"  but 
he  declined.  His  account  of  his  declination  was 
characteristic: 

"'You  surely  will  go  to  Agra  and  see  the  Taj 
Mahal  before  you  sail?'  said  my  companion,  when 
I  informed  him  that  we  were  that  day  to  begin  the 
last  trip  before  our  return  home.  'Everybody  that 
comes  to  India  visits  at  least  that,'  added  he,  by  way 
of  encouragement,  when  I  shook  my  head  negatively. 
We  had  come  to  see  the  famine  fields  and  our  time 
was  getting  short  and  every  moment  of  it  was  mort- 
gaged in  advance  up  to  the  hour  of  our  departure. 
Relief  operations  were  of  immediate  and  urgent  im- 
portance, while  sightseeing  could  be  deferred." 

The  relief  ship  Quito  reached  Bombay  on  June  28th. 
There  was  a  wonderful  reception.  The  Rev.  Mr. 
Winsor  and  his  wife,  who  made  the  voyage  on  the 
steamer,  were  the  center  of  a  very  interesting  demon- 
stration. At  the  formal  public  reception  there  was 
a  large  gathering,  including  the  Viceroy's  represen- 
tative, many  high  state  officials,  influential  natives, 
and  business  men.  In  the  addresses  the  speakers 
with  one  accord  warmly  welcomed  the  arrival  of 
the  relief  ship,  and  expressed  the  deep  gratitude  of 


THE  GREAT  INDIA  FAMINE  RELIEF  85 

India  for  the  generous  aid  of  the  American  people 
conveyed  through  The  Christian  Herald.  It  was  a 
princely  gift  and  came  at  a  time  of  all  others  when 
it  would  be  of  the  greatest  service  in  saving  life. 
Telegrams  from  the  Viceroy,  Lord  Curzon,  and  the 
Governor  of  Bombay  were  read  to  the  audience 
amid  tremendous  enthusiasm.  These  messages  ex- 
pressed the  warmest  congratulations  upon  the  safe 
arrival  of  the  Quito  and  also  upon  the  splendid  life 
saving  work  already  accomplished  in  the  relief 
campaigns  through  the  funds  supplied  by  Christian 
America. 

The  cargo  was  found  in  good  condition.  Unload- 
ing began  at  once  and  railway  cars  were  soon  filled 
with  the  precious  food.  When  all  had  been  trans- 
ferred to  the  cars  they  presented  an  imposing  sight, 
several  great  trains  being  filled  with  the  5,000  tons. 
The  cars  were  decorated,  and  soon  the  various  trains 
were  speeding  to  their  destinations  in  the  interior. 
But  the  food  supplies  from  the  United  States  still 
had  to  be  supplemented  by  cash  contributions  in 
order  to  purchase  grain  and  other  necessities  on  the 
ground.  Therefore  early  in  July  another  $100,000 
was  cabled  by  The  Christian  Herald. 

Dr.  Klopsch  was  not  able  to  remain  long  in  India, 
but  the  time  was  long  enough  to  satisfy  himself  that 
every  dollar  collected  by  The  Christian  Herald  and 
every  bushel  of  grain  supplied  was  being  properly 
distributed.  His  presence  in  the  stricken  land  was 
an  inspiration  to  the  missionaries,  to  the  relief  com- 
mittees, and  to  the  people. 

One  missionary,  writing  from  Chikulda  Berer,  said : 


86  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

It  was  an  inspiration  to  be  daily  in  his  company,  so  remark- 
able was  his  energy  and  so  genuine  and  undemonstrative  his 
sympathy  in  the  starvation  which  he  saw  for  the  first  time  and 
all  at  once  in  its  most  awful  form.  I  could  scarcely  have 
believed  that  a  man  with  so  lively  a  sense  for  the  enjoyable 
side  of  life  would  depart  without  visiting  one  of  the  places 
which  tourists  love  to  see  or  giving  a  thought  or  an  hour  to 
the  sight  of  the  cities  where  duty  took  him.  His  mind  was 
bent  on  seeing  the  famine,  and  he  spared  no  effort  to  see  as 
much  of  it  as  possible.  He  knew  nothing  of  midday  rest  or 
afternoon  siesta,  but  either  wrote  in  the  house  or  went  about 
inspecting  all  day  long.  Although  quite  unused  to  the  Indian 
sun,  he  thrice  took  a  drive  of  from  6  to  14  miles  in  the  heat  of 
the  day,  and  then  spent  one,  two,  or  three  hours  on  his  feet 
inspecting  a  relief  work  or  a  poor  house.  I  have  known  him 
to  visit  three  places  in  a  day  and  walk  about  in  the  blazing 
sun  of  May  for  several  hours  at  a  time  till  he  had  seen  all  he 
wanted. 

Having  completed  the  work  he  undertook  in 
India,  Dr.  Klopsch  returned  to  the  United  States 
after  a  most  valuable  and  unique  experience.  His 
cordial  reception  by  the  people  and  press  of  India, 
the  kind  words  he  heard  on  every  hand  in  apprecia- 
tion of  the  benevolence  of  the  American  people 
deeply  impressed  him.  In  describing  some  of  his 
experiences  after  his  return  Dr.  Klopsch  said: 

"We  arrived  at  the  most  advantageous  time  of 
the  year.  People  were  amazed  —  for  at  this  season 
nothing  is  quicker  in  India  than  death  and  burial. 
It  is  by  no  means  an  uncommon  thing  for  a  man 
apparently  healthy  to  be  dead  and  buried  within 
the  brief  space  of  five  hours,  and  not  infrequently 
the  bare,  ghastly  skull  of  a  man  may  be  seen  on  the 
very  field  over  which  the  day  before  he  had  walked 
in  perfect  health. 


THE. GREAT  INDIA  FAMINE  RELIEF  87 

*  There  is  a  malignant  type  of  dysentery  that 
quickly  perforates  the  bowels  and  drains  the  blood. 
Typhoid  fever  and  plague,  which  everywhere  abound, 
swell  the  list,  and  all  these  with  death  on  every  hand, 
contribute  to  make  the  white  man  feel  that  when  he 
has  done  his  duty  he  had  better  let  it  rest  there  and 
not  tempt  Providence.  I  am  indeed  very  profoundly 
grateful  that  with  the  exception  of  a  very  brief 
attack  of  illness  lasting  one  night  I  escaped  every 
whit  whole. 

"Finally,  the  ever-present  heat.  I  do  not  won- 
der that  the  people  are  indolent  and  apathetic.  Day 
after  day  the  same  fierce  burning  sun  beating 
down  relentlessly,  exhausting,  depleting,  devitaliz- 
ing. Night  after  night  the  same  muggy,  close,  humid 
heat  to  swelter  in.  The  white  man  fumes  and  frets 
over  his  tantalizing  inability  to  get  even  hah*  his  work 
done  by  the  natives  half-way  decently  in  double  the 
proper  time.  The  native's  grandfather  never  hur- 
ried, his  father  never  hurried,  why  then  should  he 
do  what  his  ancestors  had  never  done? 

"Apart  from  the  famine,  we  practically  saw  noth- 
ing of  India.  Of  those  things  usually  considered 
sights  worth  seeing  and  of  cities  which  every  visitor 
must  see,  we  saw  nothing.  But  we  saw  what  we 
went  to  see,  and  there  was  no  mistaking  the  real 
object  of  our  visit.  Traveling  twenty  thousand 
miles  just  to  ascertain  the  condition  of  a  starving 
people  on  the  other  side  of  the  world  and  to  study 
how  in  the  hour  of  their  direst  need  we  can  prove 
most  helpful  to  them,  is  not  an  every  day  occurrence 
and  was  not  without  its  beneficent  effect.  It  was  a 
startling  and  impressive  object  lesson  on  the  length 
to  which  a  kind,  sympathetic  Christian  people  will 
go  in  order  to  give  practical  expression  to  noble 
and  generous  impulses.  At  the  same  time  it  helped 
to  focus  the  attention  of  Moslem,  Hindu,  Parsee  and 


88  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

Christian  on  the  world  wide  charity  of  the  American 
nation." 

The  Christian  Herald  continued  to  receive  contribu- 
tions for  the  relief  of  the  starving  so  long  as  there 
was  need  of  them.  Slowly  the  clouds  lifted. 
Brighter  news  came  from  India.  The  rains  fell, 
the  lands  were  brought  under  cultivation,  and  the 
next  season  there  was  a  good  harvest,  sufficient 
almost  to  provide  for  the  people. 

When  the  final  account  of  the  second  India  famine 
relief  fund  was  rendered,  in  the  spring  of  1901,  it 
showed  that  the  income  from  all  sources  collected 
through  the  agency  of  The  Christian  Herald  had 
amounted  to  $641,071.97.  This  sum  represented 
258,508  separate  contributions,  and  these  in  turn 
represented  a  much  larger  number  of  individuals, 
as  sometimes  twenty  or  thirty  contributions  were 
included  in  one  letter.  During  1900  the  net  re- 
ceipts directly  through  The  Christian  Herald  exceeded 
$319,000.  In  the  disbursements  $290,000  was  trans- 
mitted to  the  Interdenominational  Committee  at 
Bombay.  When  the  actual  famine  relief  work  closed 
and  orphan  work  began,  the  unexpended  balance 
of  $173,973.32  was  transferred  and  applied  to  the 
support  of  over  5,000  famine  orphans  at  some  60 
missionary  stations  throughout  India.  As  in  all 
the  relief  funds,  the  balance  sheet  was  published 
by  The  Christian  Herald,  showing  in  detail  the 
sources  of  receipts  and  what  the  expenditures  had 
been  to  the  very  dollar.  This  was  certified  to  by  a 
public  accountant. 


CHAPTER    VI 

SOLVING   THE   INDIA   ORPHAN   PROBLEM 

HOW  A  PERMANENT  FUND  WAS  ESTABLISHED  —  ANNUAL  CONTRIBUTIONS  —  DR. 
KLOPSCH'S  ELOQUENT  TRIBUTE  TO  THE  MISSIONARIES  —  HIS  STORY  OP  HIS 
VISIT  TO  PUNDITA  RAMABAl's  SCHOOL PLEDGES  OF  SUPPORT FIRST  RE- 
SULTS OF  THE  WORK A  CHARACTERISTIC  LETTER INDIA'S  CHILDREN  HER 

HOPE INDUSTRIAL  TRAINING AMBITIOUS  BOYS CARE  FOR  THE  GIRLS 

—  EVIDENCES  OF  APPRECIATION  —  DR.   DEVIN's  REPORT  —  KING  EDWARD 
CONFERS  THE  KAISER-I-HIND  MEDAL  ON  DR.  KLOPSCH. 

ONE  ever  present,  poignant  problem  was  pre- 
sented by  the  relief  work  during  the  two 
India  famines.  The  food  and  money  con- 
tributed, the  medicines  and  clothing  supplied,  saved 
many  thousands.  But  in  spite  of  all  that  could  be 
done  many  thousands  also  perished,  and  large  num- 
bers of  these  were  parents  who  left  helpless  offsprings. 
To  save  the  children,  to  feed  the  orphans,  was  the 
thought  that  never  left  Dr.  Klopsch.  When  a  tem- 
porary respite  was  had  from  the  famine  of  1897-98, 
letters  began  to  pour  in  from  the  missionaries  show- 
ing the  conditions  and  explaining  the  necessity  of 
permanent  provision  for  the  orphans.  The  critical 
period,  they  explained,  would  continue  for  two  or 
three  years.  Dr.  Klopsch  proceeded  to  solve  the 
problem  in  his  usual  direct  manner.  He  decided 
to  establish  an  India  Orphan  Fund.  This  purpose 
was  made  known  in  the  following  letter,  which  was 
sent  to  twenty-two  missionaries  in  India: 

89 


90  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

"DEAR  FRIEND:  We  have  heard  with  much  pleas- 
ure of  the  great  and  good  work  which  you  were  doing 
among  the  famine  orphans  of  India.  The  report  of 
it  is  as  ointment  poured  forth,  fragrant  and  full  of 
sweetness,  and  we  are  glad  on  behalf  of  the  readers 
of  The  Christian  Herald  to  take  an  additional  share 
in  this  labor  of  love.  Acting  on  the  advice  of  Bishop 
J.  M.  Thoburn,  and  other  missionaries,  we  have  com- 
bined the  belated  contributions  to  the  Indian  famine 
relief  fund  received  at  this  office  and  the  $13,000 
recently  received  from  several  of  the  railroad  com- 
panies of  the  United  States  who  generously  under- 
took to  refund  the  whole  or  part  of  the  freight 
monies  paid  to  them  for  the  transportation  of  grain 
donated  last  year  for  the  relief  of  the  starving  people 
of  India.  And  this  combined  fund  we  have  now 
apportioned  among  those  missionaries  who  have 
undertaken  to  shelter,  care  for  and  educate  the  thou- 
sands of  homeless  and  helpless  orphans  who  but 
for  such  assistance  must  have  shared  the  terrible 
fate  of  their  parents.  We  enclose  a  check  for  the 
first  quarter  in  advance,  and  the  same  amount  will 
be  sent  you  regularly  every  three  months  during  the 
next  three  years. 

"We  heartily  appreciate  the  Christ-like  work  you 
are  doing  in  caring  for  these  helpless  waifs,  and  pray 
that  God  will  bless  your  efforts  in  their  behalf  to 
their  temporal  and  eternal  welfare. 

Faithfully  yours, 

Louis  KLOPSCH." 

The  Orphan  Famine  Fund  was  organized  on  a 
substantial  business  basis.  Contributions  were  in- 
vited which  were  to  be  specifically  set  aside  for  the 
maintenance  of  orphans  hi  India.  The  readers  of 
The  Christian  Herald  were  asked  to  make  an  annual 
contribution  which  it  was  thought  should  be  suffi- 


SOLVING  THE  INDIA  ORPHAN  PROBLEM  91 

cient  to  support  one  orphan.  As  little  as  $15.00  a 
year  in  many  cases  served  for  this  purpose.  The 
contributions  were  numerous  when  Dr.  Klopsch's 
appeals  were  understood.  In  acknowledging  the 
quarterly  remittances  sent,  the  missionaries  who 
were  supporting  and  educating  the  orphans  gave 
encouraging  reports  of  the  progress  of  the  little 
waifs.  Cheering  accounts  were  received  from  all 
sources.  They  showed  that  the  work  was  on  a 
practical  basis. 

It  was  a  providential  dispensation  that  when  the 
famine  of  1900  came  the  means  had  already  been 
taken  for  providing  for  the  orphans.  In  that  year 
the  Rev.  E.  S.  Hume,  of  the  Interdenominational 
Missionary  Committee,  who  was  home  on  sick  fur- 
lough, wrote: 

The  labors  of  the  missionaries  have  just  begun.  No  one 
will  ever  know  how  many  have  died  as  the  result  of  the  famine, 
but  the  number  will  probably  be  reckoned  by  millions,  and 
several  hundred  thousand  children  will  probably  have  been 
orphaned.  Of  these  the  missionaries  have  rescued  probably 
not  less  than  twenty  or  twenty-five  thousand.  For  these  help- 
less but  promising  children  not  only  the  missionaries  but  the 
Christians  at  home,  who  have  helped  save  them,  are  respon- 
sible. There  is  no  more  urgent  and  encouraging  form  of 
missionary  work  than  the  training  of  this  great  company  of 
children. 

Many  of  the  responses  received  to  the  appeal  for 
orphan  funds  made  through  The  Christian  Herald 
came  from  children.  Sometimes  they  combined 
their  savings,  often  sending  their  penny  collections. 
Contributions  of  this  sort  from  the  little  ones  always 
touched  Dr.  Klopsch  deeply. 


92  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

The  problem  of  the  orphans  was  described  in  The 
Christian  Herald  as  follows:  "The  missionaries  are 
looking  ahead.  They  see  in  imagination  some  morn- 
ing when  there  is  not  a  cent  in  the  treasury  and  there 
are  a  thousand  eager  faces  looking  for  a  breakfast. 
How  would  the  missionary  feel  if  he  had  nothing  to 
give  them?  He  would  wish  then  that  he  had  not 
undertaken  the  charge.  Foreseeing  such  a  contin- 
gency, he  asks  now  how  many  children  will  the 
Christians  of  America  authorize  him  to  keep.  It 
will  cost  $15.00  to  $20.00  a  year  to  support  a  child, 
and  this  sum  will  provide  not  only  food  and  clothing 
but  the  cost  of  a  Christian  education.  It  is  not 
much.  Thirty  cents  a  week  more  than  covers  it. 
How  many  men  and  women  there  are  in  this  country 
who  could  spare  the  thirty  cents  a  week  easily! 
And  how  could  they  spend  it  in  a  way  so  delight- 
ful as  that  of  obeying  Christ's  injunction,  'Feed  my 
lambs ! ' 

"And  then  think  how  far-reaching  is  this  oppor- 
tunity of  Christian  service  that  is  placed  within  our 
reach.  When  these  children  grow  up  and  go  forth 
into  the  village  homes  of  India  to  be  the  fathers  and 
mothers  of  the  next  generation  they  will  not  go  in 
heathenism  as  did  their  parents;  .they  will  know 
the  blessedness  of  the  Christian  faith,  and  will  be 
able  to  tell  their  children  of  the  compassion  which 
saved  their  lives  and  of  the  love  which  saved  their 
souls.  It  really  seems  as  if  out  of  this  appalling 
calamity  may  come  the  seed  of  the  evangelization 
of  India." 

Dr.  Klopsch  in  describing  his  visit  to  India  in 


SOLVING  THE  INDIA  ORPHAN  PROBLEM  93 

1900  devoted  one  chapter  of  the  account  which  he 
wrote  of  the  trip  to  the  school  of  Pundita  Ramabai, 
near  Poona,  which  had  been  aided  after  the  famine 
of  1898.  In  describing  the  visit  he  took  occasion  to 
pay  a  fitting  tribute  to  the  self-sacrificing  mis- 
sionaries and  he  entitled  his  article  "The  Christian 
Missionary  in  India." 

"The  Christian  missionary,"  wrote  Dr.  Klopsch, 
"is  the  bright  and  shining  light  that  penetrates  the 
gloom  of  India  and  inspires  the  heart  with  hope  for 
the  future.  Wherever  his  abode  may  be,  there  the 
sick,  the  troubled  and  the  hungry  flock,  and  there 
they  get  comfort,  help  and  food  according  to  their 
necessities  and  the  missionary's  means.  If  a  hundred 
thousand  consecrated  missionaries  could  be  promptly 
sent  to  India,  supplied  with  sufficient  means,  the  three 
thousand  souls  who  would  constitute  each  mission- 
ary's parish  would  be  brought  into  the  marvelous 
light  of  the  Gospel  within  a  very  few  years.  At  the 
present  time,  there  is  but  one  missionary  to  every 
200,000  souls,  a  ratio  which  would  give  Greater  New 
York  only  seventeen  pastors;  Chicago,  six;  Boston, 
two;  and  San  Francisco,  one.  But  the  time  will 
come  when,  through  the  efforts  of  the  heroic  band  of 
self-denying  men  and  women  now  laboring  for  Christ 
in  that  benighted  land,  India  will  raise  her  own  home 
missionaries,  and  by  the  very  children  to  which  she 
herself  gave  birth,  be  led  to  accept  Jesus  of  Nazareth 
as  Saviour  and  King.  And  the  present  famine  is 
paving  the  way — for  the  children  left  without  father 
or  mother,  home  or  friends,  will  be  gathered  into 
Christian  orphanages,  educated  by  Christian  teachers, 
surrounded  by  Christian  influences,  become  Chris- 
tians themselves,  and  eventually  go  forth  to  tell  the 
glad  tidings  of  a  free  and  a  full  salvation. 


94  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

"It  was  my  good  fortune,  during  my  brief  so- 
journ, to  be  thrown  into  closest  contact  with  a  num- 
ber of  the  godly  men  and  women,  who,  full  of  faith, 
leaving  the  comforts  of  civilization  behind  them, 
answered  the  Divine  call  to  uphold  the  standard  of 
the  Cross  among  an  interesting  but  an  exceedingly 
superstitious  people,  and  who  to-day,  far  away  from 
their  native  land,  are  brightening  and  cheering 
countless  lives  and  leading  them  out  gradually, 
slowly  but  surely,  step  by  step,  into  that  blessed 
faith  that  shall  yet  bring  peace  to  their  troubled 
souls,  and  joy  and  happiness  to  their  sad  and  now 
hopeless  hearts.  I  congratulate  myself  on  having 
for  a  while  been  permitted  to  mingle  with  them  and 
to  draw  encouragement  and  inspiration  from  their 
presence  and  their  lives. 

"Pundit a  Ramabai  had  been  seriously  ill  and  con- 
fined to  her  bed  for  over  two  weeks,  when  she  received 
my  telegram  from  Bombay,  inquiring  whether  it 
would  be  convenient  for  her  to  have  me  spend  a  day 
at  Khedgaon  on  my  way  to  Ahmednagar.  Without 
regard  for  her  own  physical  comfort,  she  imme- 
diately responded,  cordially  welcoming  me  to  India 
and  promising  to  meet  me  at  Poona  on  the  arrival 
of  the  seven  o'clock  train  any  morning  I  might 
designate.  That  same  evening  we  started.  The 
next  morning,  at  the  appointed  hour,  we  glided 
noiselessly  into  Poona  Station.  On  the  platform, 
dressed  in  spotless  white,  stood  the  Pundita.  She 
looked  very  pale  and  feeble,  but  she  greeted  us 
cordially  with  a  pleasant  smile.  In  her  hand  she 
held  a  diminutive  bouquet  of  sweet-smelling  flowers, 
which  she  gracefully  presented  and  I  gratefully 
accepted.  Flowers  in  India  are  always  used  on 
every  joyous  or  festive  occasion.  The  train  halted 
only  ten  minutes.  There  was  no  time  for  exchange 
of  protracted  courtesies. 


SOLVING  THE  INDIA  ORPHAN  PROBLEM  95 

"At  a  little  after  nine  we  reached  Khedgaon.  A 
multitude  of  men  and  women  and  children  had 
gathered  at  the  station.  They  had  heard  that  the 
Pundita  had  recovered  and  was  coming.  She  was 
their  benefactress.  Many  of  them  but  for  her  help 
would  not  have  been  alive.  They  owed  everything 
to  her.  So  they  gathered  to  welcome  her.  They 
flocked  around  her.  They  embraced  her.  The  young 
folks  kissed  her.  Tears  of  joy  were  in  their  eyes. 
The  Pundita  was  affected.  She  could  hardly  restrain 
her  emotion.  She  almost  wept.  She  returned  the 
embraces  and  she  looked  happy.  The  scene  was  a 
very  touching  one  and  this  spontaneous  manifesta- 
tion of  gratitude  very  pathetic.  It  came  from  the 
heart,  it  went  to  the  heart,  and  Ramabai  found  full 
compensation  for  a  thousand  cares  and  anxieties  in 
that  one  welcome. 

"  Space  will  not  permit  me  here  to  repeat  the  story 
of  the  happy  day  I  spent  with  her  and  the  700  bright- 
eyed,  lovely  girls  and  young  women  under  her  care, 
but  it  was  a  red  letter  event  which  I  shall  never 
forget.  The  magnitude  and  superior  quality  of  the 
work  were  a  veritable  revelation  to  me,  and  I  am 
happy  to  know  that  the  generous  readers  of  The 
Christian  Herald  have  enabled  me  to  lift  many  a 
burden  from  the  shoulders  of  this  Divinely-called 
and  heaven-ordained  disciple." 

The  India  orphan  roll  of  honor  was  established  by 
persons  who  undertook  the  support  of  one  orphan. 
The  pledge  was  given  as  follows: 

I  will  endeavor  to  support  (time)  (number)  India  famine 
orphans,  and  will  remit  quarterly  at  the  rate  of  $15.00  a  year 
to  The  Christian  Herald  India  orphan  work  for  such  support. 
It  is  my  understanding  the  care  thus  provided  for  will  include 
food,  clothing,  shelter,  and  instruction  by  proper  teachers. 


96  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

It  is  my  wish  that  the  orphan  be  a  boy,  girl,  and  located  in  an 
orphanage  under  the  care  of  a  missionary  of  (denomination). 

In  September,  1900,  The  Christian  Herald  cabled 
$25,000  to  India  to  support  5,000  children  for  four 
months. 

Dr.  Iflopsch  in  a  letter  dated  July  25,  1900,  pro- 
posed to  endeavor  to  raise  the  support  for  10,000 
orphan  children,  and  to  pledge  the  support  of  at 
least  5,000  for  at  least  one  year.  The  Interdenomi- 
national Missionary  Committee,  which  met  at  Bom- 
bay in  September,  1900,  accepted  his  offer,  which 
it  declared  was  unprecedented  in  the  history  of 
Christian  charity,  and  accepted  the  conditions  under 
which  the  work  was  to  be  carried  on.  In  making 
his  appeal  Dr.  Klopsch  put  the  question  in  his  usual 
incisive  way.  "Have  you  adopted  an  India  famine 
orphan?"  Then  would  follow  an  explanation  of 
it  as  a  work  of  Christian  benevolence,  and  facts 
would  be  given  of  the  good  that  was  being  accom- 
plished. The  full  details  of  the  plans  for  the  orphan 
adoption  would  be  set  forth. 

One  of  the  missionaries  in  India  sent  a  photograph 
of  three  little  native  famine  orphans  returning  thanks 
after  their  simple  meal.  The  Hindu  "  thanks  hymn  " 
translated  was  as  follows: 

Love  and  thanks,  O  Lord, 

We  little  children  give, 

That  Thou  our  daily  bread 

From  a  far  country  to  us  art  sending. 

With  the  Holy  Spirit  all  hearts  fill; 

Grant  a  blessing  upon  all  givers. 


GOVERNMENT  FAMINE  RELIEF  WORKS.  GUJERAT,  INDIA 


FAMINE  ORPHANS  AT  NELLORE,   INDIA 


SOLVING  THE  INDIA  ORPHAN  PROBLEM  97 

Word  continued  to  come  in  the  following  year 
from  the  missionaries  of  the  results  of  the  work. 
Dr.  Harpster,  the  eminent  minister  at  Gunter,  wrote 
that  he  had  taken  special  care  that  the  stigma  of 
charity  should  never  attach  to  any  of  the  famine 
orphans  in  his  charge,  and  that  other  missionaries 
were  doing  likewise.  They  were  treated  on  precisely 
the  same  footing  as  were  the  children  of  wealthy 
natives  in  the  schools  who  were  being  educated  at  the 
expense  of  their  parents.  The  orphans  had  the  same 
food  and  the  same  attention  as  the  other  pupils. 
Miss  Lillian  Dietrich,  who  was  in  charge  of  the 
orphanage  at  Cawnpore,  wrote  that  the  200  girls 
under  her  care  were  being  trained  to  habits  of  industry 
and  economy.  Miss  A.  A.  Brown,  of  the  Kholapore 
mission,  wrote:  "It  would  do  you  good  to  see  the 
bright  happy  faces  of  the  waifs  who  have  been  saved 
from  starvation  by  your  readers.  We  have  now  over 
500  of  these  children  under  our  care.  Some  of  them 
are  child  widows,  whose  lot  would  have  been  especially 
sad  if  we  had  not  sheltered  them.  The  girls  are 
learning  sewing  and  domestic  work,  and  the  boys 
are  being  taught  better  methods  of  farming,  mason 
and  carpentry  work.  They  are  all  wonderfully  bright 
and  wiHing  to  learn." 

Early  in  the  spring  of  1901  Dr.  Klopsch  announced 
that  the  suggestions  of  The  Christian  Herald  for  the 
support  of  the  children  orphaned  in  the  India  famine 
were  taking  definite  shape.  The  response  to  the 
appeal  had  been  so  generous  that  he  had  sent  a 
guarantee  to  the  missionaries  for  the  support  of  5,000 
orphans,  and  had  promised  to  send  a  remittance  of 


98  LIFE-WORK  OP  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

$25,000  regularly  at  intervals  of  four  months,  making 
in  all  nine  payments,  $225,000,  during  three  years. 
Such  a  guarantee  was  necessary,  otherwise  the  mis- 
sionaries would  not  have  felt  justified  in  keeping 
under  their  roofs  children  for  whose  maintenance 
no  one  was  responsible. 

In  the  selection  the  denominational  preferences  of 
the  foster-parents  of  the  children  were  respected. 
The  selection  was  made  by  the  Interdenominational 
Missionary  Committee  in  India.  A  map  was  pub- 
lished in  The  Christian  Herald  showing  the  location 
of  the  orphanages  and  giving  a  classified  list  accord- 
ing to  denominations  of  the  group  in  each.  The 
group  included  Baptist,  Christian  Alliance,  Disci- 
ples, Lutheran,  Congregational,  Protestant  Episco- 
pal, Methodist  Episcopal,  Wesleyan  Methodist,  and 
Presbyterian.  In  all  there  were  thirty-eight  famine 
orphan  stations. 

Later  a  pamphlet  was  published  on  the  India 
orphan  work  which  gave  the  practical  results  as 
witnessed  by  the  missionaries  who  were  in  charge. 
Dr.  Klopsch  prefaced  this  pamphlet  by  a  personal 
letter,  as  he  called  it.  The  letter,  which  was  thor- 
oughly characteristic  of  the  man,  was  as  follows : 

A  PERSONAL  LETTER  FROM  DR.  KLOPSCH 

AUGUST  10,  1903. 
DEAR  FRIEND: 

The  India  Famine  Orphan  Work,  in  which  you  and  I  are 
jointly  and  deeply  interested,  is  the  most  glorious  and  most 
promising  missionary  effort  of  the  Twentieth  Century.  It  is 
surely  a  divinely  ordained  work,  destined  to  do  more  for  the 
ingathering  of  India's  three  hundred  millions  than  could  possibly 
have  been  devised  by  mere  human  agency. 


99 

These  5,400  native  dusky  boys  and  girls,  reared  under 
Christian  influences,  and  trained  for  Christian  helpfulness, 
outrank  two  to  one  in  point  of  numbers,  all  the  Christian 
missionaries  now  operating  in  India.  When  they  take  their 
places,  as  soon  they  must,  among  the  mighty  agencies  for  good 
among  their  own  people,  they  will  influence  countless  thousands 
whose  ears  would  remain  forever  closed  to  foreign  preaching 
of  the  Word. 

Let  us  unitedly  bear  the  burden  for  another  two  years,  and 
then,  having  sowed  the  seed  the  Lord  put  it  in  our  hearts  to 
sow,  leave  the  rest  to  the  God  of  the  harvest,  who  will  surely 
bring  to  glorious  fruition  the  work  we  have  constantly  had  in 
view. 

May  the  Lord  graciously  incline  your  heart  to  a  continuance 
of  this  beneficent  work,  and  at  last  crown  you  for  the  share 
of  the  burden  which,  in  His  Name,  you  have  so  bravely  borne. 
Numbers  6: 24,  25,  26. 


At  the  same  time  The  Christian  Herald  published 
an  article  entitled,  "India's  Children  Are  Her  Hope." 
This  article  stated  that  cheering  and  hopeful  news 
continued  to  come  from  India  of  the  results  of  the 
magnificent  work  being  done  there  among  the  orphans. 
The  missionaries  were  delighted  with  the  opportunity 
afforded  them  of  caring  for  the  children  and  educating 
them  in  the  Christian  faith;  and  the  children  were 
showing  wonderful  intelligence,  and  not  only  avail- 
ing themselves  of  the  educational  facilities  placed 
within  their  reach,  but  were  giving  themselves  to 
Christ  with  a  true  and  sincere  consecration.  Many 
instances  were  given  of  the  progress  made  by  the 
children.  The  reports  regarding  the  orphan  girls 


100  LIFE-WORK  OP  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

were  in  particular  encouraging.  Miss  S.  S.  Gardner, 
secretary  of  the  India  work  of  the  Woman's  Union 
Missionary  Society,  who  visited  the  United  States 
in  1903,  reported  excellent  progress.  Regarding  the 
women  she  wrote: 

There  are  140  millions  of  women  in  India  who  can  neither 
read  nor  write,  so  they  cannot  be  approached  with  the  written 
word.  Forty  millions  of  these  are  shut  up  in  the  zenanas. 
Twenty-seven  millions  of  them  are  widows,  and  the  only  way 
to  reach  them  is  through  the  agency  of  their  own  sex.  The 
few  foreign  missionaries  cannot  of  course  touch  the  fringe  of 
this  great  mass  of  women;  it  can  only  be  through  their  own 
Christian  sisters,  and  India's  Christian  women  must  be  trained 
and  educated  to  meet  this  great  responsibility. 

The  work  of  the  women,  since  it  does  not  include  public 
preaching,  is  necessarily  more  in  the  line  of  teaching,  and  is 
largely  made  up  of  Bible  teaching  in  the  zenanas  and  in  Hindu 
and  Mohammedan  day  schools.  In  villages  where  they  can 
gather  large  numbers  of  women  together  it  is  more  nearly 
allied  to  preaching,  —  is  purely  evangelistic.  They  do  much 
of  the  work  in  Christian  boarding  and  day  schools  as  teachers, 
matrons  and  general  supervisors.  We  wish  to  train  the  children 
not  only  for  teachers  but  for  leaders.  We  must  bring  to  the 
front  those  who  will  be  able  to  take  places  of  responsibility, 
and  be  able  to  organize  and  to  carry  out  schemes  for  service 
among  their  fellow  countrywomen.  The  writer  has  under  her 
charge  two  schools,  one  for  primary  and  one  for  the  higher 
education  of  the  Christian  girls  and  women,  and  there  have 
been  notable  results  from  both.  Twelve  hundred  Hindu 
girls  gathered  in  day  schools  in  every  part  of  the  city  of  Cal- 
cutta are  nearly  all  taught  by  teachers  educated  or  trained  in 
one  or  the  other  of  these  schools.  The  teachers  in  the  schools 
thus  are  old  pupils. 

Industrial  training  formed  an  important  work  of 
the  orphanages.  An  item  of  news  a  couple  of  years 


SOLVING  THE  INDIA  ORPHAN  PROBLEM  101 

later  by  Mrs.  Aldrich,  who  with  her  husband,  the 
Rev.  Floyd  Aldrich,  had  charge  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  mission  at  Narsinghpur,  was  the  announce- 
ment of  the  marriage  of  seven  young  men  who  had 
been  trained  and  educated  at  the  mission.  Two  of 
them  were  expert  shoemakers,  one  was  a  carpenter, 
and  another  an  overseer. 

The  Rev.  H.  Huizinga  wrote  especially  of  the 
earnest  desire  on  the  part  of  the  boys  to  learn  trades. 
There  was  a  time  when  boys  regarded  mechanical 
work  as  degrading.  However,  they  were  realizing 
that  a  boy  who  knew  how  to  make  something  or  do 
something  was  more  independent  than  he  who  knew 
nothing  but  the  tilling  of  the  land.  When  Mr. 
Huizinga  announced  that  he  could  take  a  few  more 
boys  in  the  industrial  department  nearly  thirty 
offered  themselves,  and  he  already  had  fifty-two  at 
work.  The  practical  spirit  of  the  boys  was  shown 
by  the  fact  that  the  majority  of  them  wanted  to 
learn  to  be  shoemakers. 

Miss  Greene,  at  Phalera,  gave  an  equally  encourag- 
ing report  of  the  girls.  They  were  turning  out  beauti- 
ful laces  and  embroidery,  which  commanded  a  ready 
sale,  and  were  weaving  cloth  and  blankets.  Miss 
Anderson,  of  Pasrur,  gave  similar  testimony.  She 
wrote  that  girls  who  were  utterly  ignorant  of  the 
commonest  duties  could  sew,  spin,  and  do  other 
kinds  of  work  besides  keeping  their  houses  orderly 
and  neat.  Miss  Anderson  added,  "I  have  engaged  in 
the  course  of  my  life  in  many  kinds  of  mission  work, 
but  I  have  never  done  anything  for  the  Master  that 
I  have  enjoyed  so  much,  nor  anything  that  has  been 


10S  LIFE-WORK  OP  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

so  fruitful  of  results,  as  this  work  among  the  famine 
children." 

This  was  the  testimony  also  of  other  mission- 
aries. They  on  their  side  faithfully  fulfilled  their 
promises  and  patiently  and  tirelessly  devoted  them- 
selves to  the  training  and  teaching  of  the  famine 
waifs.  Dr.  Klopsch  made  these  and  similar  encour- 
aging reports  the  basis  for  extending  the  work  of 
supporting  orphans  somewhat  beyond  the  period 
which  was  originally  contemplated.  The  sup- 
port which  was  originally  pledged  for  one  year,  and 
then  for  three  years,  was  extended  to  seven  years, 
the  understanding  being  that  as  the  children  grew 
up  and  became  self-supporting,  or  married,  or  died, 
the  demand  on  the  fund  should  gradually  diminish. 
At  the  maximum  of  the  movement  there  were  fifty- 
five  hundred  orphans  under  support.  In  all,  over 
$557,000  was  sent  to  India  for  famine  orphan  sup- 
port. At  the  time  of  Dr.  Klopsch's  death  there 
were  on  the  lists  about  four  hundred  India  orphans, 
the  annual  allowance  for  whom  was  remitted  at  reg- 
ular periods  to  the  mission  committee  at  Bombay. 

Tributes  to  the  orphan  work  came  year  after  year 
from  the  missionaries  and  from  officials  of  the  Indian 
Government  as  well  as  from  numerous  travelers. 

The  Irish  Presbyterian  India  Mission,  which  was 
included  in  the  sphere  of  Dr.  Klopsch's  orphanage 
work,  adopted  a  special  resolution  placing  on  record 
its  deep  sense  of  the  obligation  to  their  warm-hearted 
and  noble  friends  in  America,  and  submitted  to  them 
through  Dr.  Klopsch  and  The  Christian  Herald  the 
expression  of  their  sincere  and  heartfelt  thanks. 


SOLVING  THE  INDIA  ORPHAN  PROBLEM  103 

"The  love  that  has  prompted  the  generous  help 
accorded  since  the  great  famine,"  said  the  resolution, 
"serves  as  a  link  to  bind  in  the  bonds  of  Christian 
fellowship  the  three  countries  of  America,  India,  and 
Ireland,  and  in  thus  overstepping  all  international 
distinctions  it  reflects  the  love  divine." 

The  Rev.  John  Bancroft  Devins,  in  his  trip  around 
the  world  in  1904,  visited  the  orphanages  wholly 
or  partly  supported  by  The  Christian  Herald  Inter- 
denominational Committee.  He  wrote  very  full 
descriptions  of  what  he  saw,  and  his  accounts  gave 
much  satisfaction  to  the  Christian  people  of  the 
United  States  who  were  contributing  to  the  support 
of  the  orphanages.  The  work  was  thus  summed  up 
by  Dr.  Devins:  _i 

The  feature  of  The  Christian  Heraltfs  many  actions  which 
has  impressed  itself  most  deeply  upon  the  minds  of  all  classes 
in  India,  English  officials,  Christian  missionaries,  Indian  gentle- 
men, and  the  orphans  themselves,  is  this  —  life  has  been  saved 
and  then  maintained.  Sentiment  may  be  enlisted  in  saving 
lives,  but  principle  is  needed  to  enable  the  work  to  be  effective. 
The  conclusion  which  I  have  reached  after  nearly  three  months 
in  India,  hi  which  time  thousands  of  Christian  Herald  orphans 
were  visited  and  reports  received  from  many  hundreds  of  those 
whom  I  could  not  visit,  is: 

Five  thousand  children  have  been  saved  from  suffering  and 
starvation;  they  are  being  maintained  at  slight  expense,  with 
sanitary  surroundings,  and  they  are  being  trained  under  influ- 
ences which  will  inevitably  lead  most  of  them  into  Christian 
life  and  character;  further  a  bond  of  sympathy,  humane  and 
divine,  has  been  formed  between  patron  and  beneficiary,  as 
helpful  to  the  former  as  to  the  latter. 

When  Dr.  Devins  was  having  an  audience  in  the 
Government  House  in  Calcutta,  the  private  secretary 


104  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

to  Lord  Curzon,  the  Viceroy,  remarked  as  he  read 
a  letter  of  introduction  from  Dr.  Klopsch: 

"Well,  you  know  what  we  think  of  Dr.  Klopsch 
and  The  Christian  Herald's  work  for  the  famine 
orphans  of  India.  The  Kaiser-i-Hind  medal  just 
sent  to  him  is  the  best  evidence  of  our  appreciation 
that  we  can  give." 

This  was  true.  In  the  various  orders  conferred 
by  King  Edward  to  mark  the  New  Year  of  1904, 
and  to  recognize  distinguished  services,  the  Kaiser- 
i-Hind  medal  of  the  first-class  was  conferred  upon 
Dr.  Klopsch  in  recognition  of  the  work  he  had  done 
in  behalf  of  the  famine  sufferers  of  India.  This  was 
the  official  statement.  It  was  a  fitting  acknowledg- 
ment of  his  work,  and  was  appreciated  not  only 
by  Dr.  Klopsch,  but  by  the  many  thousands  who 
through  his  instrumentality  had  been  enabled  to  ex- 
tend the  helping  hand  to  India's  suffering  people, 
and  who  felt  that  in  the  recognition  extended  him 
they,  too,  were  recognized. 


CHAPTER  VII 

SUCCOR  FOR  STRICKEN  CUBA 

STRUGGLES    TO    FREE    THE    MOST    BEAUTIFUL    ISLAND  —  GOMEZ    AND    MACEO  — 

BURNING   CANE    FIELDS WEYLER's    BECONCENTRATION    ORDER AN   EYE- 

WITNESS'   ACCOUNT   OF   THE   MISERY WAR'S   DESOLATION VISITS  TO  THE 

PRISON    CAMPS SENTIMENT    IN    THE    UNITED  STATES PRESIDENT   MC  KIN- 

LEY'S  CHRISTMAS  APPEAL DR.  KLOPBCH  ON  THE  RELIEF  COMMITTEE HIS 

TRIP  TO   HAVANA AN   EXAMPLE  OF  HIS  METHODS SILENT  SUFFERERS 

GEN.  FITZHUGH  LEE  —  THE  PRESIDENT'S  APPRECIATION. 

WHEN  Columbus  in  his  voyages  of  discovery 
first  saw  the  shores  of  Cuba,  he  called  it 
the  most  beautiful  island  that  the  eyes  of 
man  ever  beheld.  Such  is  Cuba  as  nature  made  it, 
a  tropical  paradise.  But  for  centuries  Cuba  was 
the  victim  of  misgovernment.  Its  people  though 
bound  by  many  ties  of  common  blood  to  Spain  were 
in  almost  constant  revolt,  either  open  or  concealed, 
against  the  misrule  of  the  mother  country. 

Free  Cuba  was  the  aspiration  of  nearly  all  native- 
born  Cubans,  whether  they  were  of  Spanish  parent- 
age or  of  African  blood.  A  struggle  was  waged  from 
1868  to  1878,  known  as  the  "Ten  Years  War," 
whose  avowed  purpose  was  independence.  Spain 
after  finally  quelling  this  insurrection  made  efforts 
to  provide  better  government  which  would  satisfy 
the  Cubans,  but  these  efforts  were  not  successful. 

In  1895  there  was  another  uprising  headed  by  the 
poet  Marti.  At  first  it  was  thought  that  this  was 

105 


106  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

confined  only  to  the  eastern  part  of  the  island,  but 
within  a  year  it  had  spread  from  one  end  to  the  other, 
that  is  from  Santiago  in  the  east  to  Pinar  del  Rio  in 
the  west.  It  had  at  its  head  two  men  of  genuine 
military  ability  and  leadership,  who  had  been  con- 
cerned in  the  "Ten  Years  War."  They  were  Maximo 
Gomez,  who  was  of  Spanish  blood,  and  Antonio 
Maceo,  who  was  of  the  negro  race,  which  comprises 
about  one-third  the  entire  population. 

Both  Gomez  and  Maceo  knew  that  by  war  under 
ordinary  conditions,  Spain  in  the  end  would  be  the 
victor,  for  she  had  an  army  which  was  constantly 
recruited  and  had  the  means  of  regular  military 
operations.  The  insurgents  could  and  did  organize 
an  army  of  a  certain  kind,  but  in  any  circumstances 
it  could  never  be  made  a  fully  organized  military 
body.  So  guerrilla  warfare  was  the  natural  mode 
of  making  what  proved  to  be  the  final,  and  through 
the  intervention  of  the  United  States,  the  successful 
struggle  for  independence. 

Destruction  of  property  was  the  chief  means  which 
Gomez  and  Maceo  invoked.  They  proposed  to  make 
Cuba  worthless  to  Spain.  The  central  and  eastern 
sections  of  the  island  are  composed  of  vast  sugar 
plantations.  The  western  end  is  made  up  largely 
of  tobacco  farms.  By  destroying  the  plantations, 
many  of  which  were  owned  by  Spaniards,  and  some 
by  Americans,  Gomez  and  Maceo  intended  to  prove 
that  the  only  hope  for  the  future  was  in  Spain  giving 
up  her  dominion.  After  a  year  or  two  one  of  the 
most  common  sights  in  the  island  was  to  see  the  red 
flames  sweeping  over  the  cane  fields  like  a  prairie  fire. 


SUCCOR  FOR  STRICKEN  CUBA  107 

So  long  as  Spain  claimed  sovereignty,  it  was  her 
duty  to  protect  the  property  of  her  own  subjects 
and  of  foreigners.  The  army,  which  was  thrown  into 
Cuba  from  time  to  time,  was  supposed  to  be  employed 
as  much  for  this  purpose  as  in  military  operations 
against  the  insurgents,  but  after  a  while  it  was  dis- 
covered that  the  troops  themselves  often  engaged  in 
the  destruction  of  plantations,  particularly  if  these 
were  owned  by  Cubans  who  sympathized  with  the 
insurrection.  It  was  not  an  unusual  thing  for  the 
insurgents  to  be  burning  the  cane  fields  on  one  side 
of  a  plantation,  while  the  troops  were  setting  fire  to 
the  other  side. 

Before  the  insurrection  had  progressed  very  far, 
Spain  sent  out  General  Valeriano  Weyler  as  Captain- 
General.  The  Captain-General  in  Cuba  was  both 
the  military  commander  and  the  head  of  civil 
administration.  General  Weyler  took  vigorous  steps 
which  he  claimed  were  justifiable  to  end  the  insur- 
rection. 

It  was  apparent  that  the  country  people  of  Cuba, 
who  were  laborers  on  the  sugar  plantations,  and  who 
often  had  their  own  little  farms,  were  for  the  most 
part  in  sympathy  with  the  insurrection.  They  were 
not,  however,  filled  with  the  military  spirit,  and  from 
their  quiet  nature  were  usually  described  as  padficos. 
The  majority  of  them  were  non-combatants. 

General  Weyler  held  that  whether  actually  en- 
gaged in  the  insurrection  or  not,  by  their  presence 
in  the  country  they  afforded  aid  to  the  insurgents. 
Therefore  he  issued  an  order,  known  as  the  "recon- 
centration  order,"  bringing  them  into  the  towns  and 


108  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

cities  in  what  were  military  camps.  As  a  military 
measure  probably  this  order  would  not  be  ques- 
tioned by  military  commanders  anywhere  engaged 
in  war.  But  its  effect,  by  herding  the  paeificos  in 
camps,  and  really  under  guard,  was  to  make  them 
military  prisoners.  Everywhere  that  civilization 
prevails  it  is  recognized  that  prisoners  of  war  are 
entitled  to  be  fed  and  clothed.  This  was  what 
General  Weyler  did  not  do,  either  from  indifference 
or  through  inability.  The  towns  and  cities  were 
filled  with  these  country  people,  who  became  known 
as  the  reconcentrados.  They  had  no  means  of  sub- 
sistence except  such  as  was  doled  out  to  them  by 
charity  or  by  the  local  authorities. 

In  time  this  concentration,  and  the  general  destruc- 
tion throughout  the  island,  began  to  tell  fearfully 
on  the  people.  Hunger  and  fever  took  them  off  by 
the  thousands.  Indignation  was  felt  in  the  United 
States  at  these  conditions,  yet  not  much  was  known 
about  the  actual  facts.  It  was  claimed  that  the 
accounts  of  suffering  were  very  much  exaggerated, 
and  that  the  people  as  a  whole  were  as  well  off  as  the 
people  of  any  country  in  which  war  raged.  At  this 
time  I  went  to  Cuba  in  connection  with  my  profes- 
sion, as  a  newspaper  correspondent.  The  impression 
made  on  me  was  described  in  letters  to  American 
newspapers.  Some  extracts  will  show  the  real  con- 
ditions. A  letter  from  Union  in  the  Province  of 
Matanzas  among  other  things  gave  this  description 
of  rural  Cuba: 

Miseria  is  the  disease  that  afflicts  rural  Cuba.  The  physi- 
cians who  attend  the  dying  reconcentrados  in  the  towns  coined 


SUCCOR  FOR  STRICKEN  CUBA          109 

the  term.  They  had  no  word  comprehensive  enough  to  describe 
the  loss  of  lives  from  hunger,  exposure  and  lack  of  care;  so  they 
called  it  miseria.  A  majority  of  the  burial  certificates  now 
give  this  as  the  cause  of  death.  Miseria  is  simply  misery.  It 
is  misery  that  has  depopulated  the  concentration  settlements, 
and  it  is  misery  that  throws  a  shadow  over  the  country  districts. 
The  country,  like  its  people,  is  dying  from  lack  of  nourishment. 

Union,  in  the  old  times,  was  one  of  the  most  attractive  of 
Cuban  villages.  It  might  still  be  called  attractive  if  there  were 
inhabitants  enough  in  it  to  give  an  appearance  of  life.  The 
town  has  suffered  destruction.  It  is  desolate,  but  the  desola- 
tion is  not  that  of  ruin.  The  buildings  are  not  blackened  walls 
or  grass-grown  ash  heaps,  as  in  other  places.  Nothing  ails  the 
place  but  lonesomeness.  And  it  is  not  as  bad  here  as  elsewhere, 
for  the  fine  sugar  plantation  Conchita,  close  by,  has  some 
cane  fields  which  are  not  charred,  and  the  mill  is  able  to  do  a 
little  grinding.  The  streets  are  clean,  many  of  the  cottages 
are  pretty,  and  look  as  though  the  occupants  were  once  pros- 
perous. Even  the  reconcentrados  are  housed  with  something 
like  comfort  in  a  row  of  huts  along  the  railroad  track.  They 
are  few  in  numbers.  To-day  they  hug  their  hearthstones 
closely  if  a  bit  of  burning  charcoal  can  be  called  a  hearthstone. 
The  children  who  come  out  to  beg  shiver  in  their  rags,  for  a  cold 
wind  from  the  north  has  brought  with  it  a  sleety  rain,  and  they 
are  poorly  fitted  to  stand  such  exposure.  Old  clothes  would 
not  go  amiss  here.  But  the  reconcentrados  in  Union  are  not 
exhibiting  their  misery,  and  they  remain  in  their  huts.  I 
noticed,  as  in  concentration  settlements,  that  the  survivors 
are  mostly  blacks.  They  have  withstood  the  policy  of  extermi- 
nation better  than  the  whites. 

Union  is  like  other  towns.  It  had  resources  enough  to  live 
off  itself  for  awhile.  Those  resources  are  nearing  exhaustion. 
The  country  from  which  it  should  draw  support  has  nothing 
to  yield.  On  one  side,  toward  Havana,  are  the  burned  cane 
lands.  In  the  other  direction,  toward  Matanzas  and  Cien- 
fuegoes,  barren  fields,  with  neither  cattle  nor  men,  only  the 
tall  palm  trees  to  break  the  solitude  of  nature.  Coming  in 


110  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

from  the  latter  direction  I  have  been  impressed  for  the  hun- 
dredth time  with  the  absence  of  even  the  signs  of  life.  The 
buzzards  have  almost  ceased  to  circle  over  the  fields.  Nothing 
is  left  for  them.  Had  a  few  hundred  of  the  reconcentrados 
been  put  back  in  the  field,  allowed  to  rebuild  their  bohios  or 
palm  huts,  been  given  seed  and  encouraged  to  exert  what 
strength  remained  to  them  in  cultivating  the  land,  the  aspect 
of  the  country  would  have  been  different.  This  was  not  done, 
and  it  is  useless  to  speculate  on  what  might  have  been  the  bene- 
ficial result  on  the  economic  conditions  of  the  island.  This 
phase  of  the  subject  has  now  to  be  studied  with  reference  to  the 
town  communities.  They  are  reaching  the  point  where  the 
sterilization  of  the  country  around  them  is  having  its  natural 
effect.  I  have  taken  Union  as  an  illustration  because  the  con- 
ditions could  be  shown  with  less  exhibitionxrf  visible  and  harass- 
ing distress  than  in  most  of  the  other  towns  visited. 

Another  letter  told  of  the  devastation  of  the  beau- 
tiful country  around  Havana: 

The  country  around  Havana  bears  silent  witness  to  the 
existence  of  war.  Leaving  the  railroad  station  at  Marianao 
a  carriage  was  taken  and  the  road  followed,  which  gave  a  fine 
view  of  the  handsome  villas  of  wealthy  citizens  of  Havana. 
Only  a  few  minutes  were  required  to  reach  the  edge  of  the  village. 
A  couple  of  pickets  were  stationed  there.  Paseo  ?  one  of  them 
asked.  Yes,  the  American  gentlemen  were  going  for  a  pleasure 
drive,  and  they  were  allowed  to  pass  without  a  military  permit. 
Further  on  another  picket  insisted  on  having  an  umbrella 
handed  out  for  his  inspection.  He  was  suspicious  that  it  might 
be  munitions  of  war. 

Every  phase  of  ruin  was  seen  along  that  road,  from  the 
blackened  ashes  that  yet  smoldered  to  the  roofless  walls  of  once 
stately  homes.  Glancing  down  the  avenues  of  royal  palms  and 
in  the  groves  of  mangoes  and  Indian  laurels,  we  would  see  these 
ruined  houses.  In  some  the  work  of  destruction  was  only 
half  done.  The  doors  and  windows  would  be  gaping  wide  open, 
without  a  sign  of  life  about  the  places.  Commonly,  though, 


SUCCOR  FOR  STRICKEN  CUBA  111 

the  houses  would  be  unroofed,  and  the  pillars  and  columns 
would  be  a  crumbled  mass.  Sometimes  a  single  wall  would  be 
standing.  The  palm-thatched  huts  along  the  wayside  had 
been  spared,  and  this  made  the  route  contrast  with  the  desola- 
tion back  from  the  highway,  among  the  palms  and  mangoes, 
more  striking.  On  some  of  the  estates  the  trees  and  hedges 
had  been  cut. 

A  description  of  the  prison  camps  in  which  the 
reconcentrados  were  herded  was  given  in  a  letter 
from  Matanzas: 

We  had  the  first  sight  of  an  extensive  camp  of  pacificos  at 
Campo  Florido,  which  is  an  hour's  distance  from  Havana. 
Hundreds  of  palm  huts  were  spread  out  on  either  side  of  the 
railroad  tracks.  A  barbed  wire  fence,  eight  feet  high,  was 
stretched  along  the  outskirts  of  the  settlement.  Just  outside 
the  fence  ran  a  deep  ditch.  On  the  knolls  and  hills  were  the 
fortilinos,  or  little  forts,  garrisoned  and  with  sentinels  on  the 
lookout.  Soldiers  patrolled  everywhere.  Looking  down  among 
the  huts,  then  at  the  barbed  wire  fence,  the  ditch,  the  soldiers 
occupying  the  commanding  positions,  it  was  no  longer  a  mystery 
why  the  pacificos  in  the  desperation  of  hunger  did  not  break 
out  into  the  open  country.  They  would  never  get  through  that 
fence  and  across  the  ditch  beyond  the  range  of  the  guns.  Those 
at  Campo  Florido  were  wandering  aimlessly  around  within  their 
pen  like  caged  animals  on  exhibition. 

At  Juraco  and  other  stations  further  glimpses  were  had  of 
the  pacificos.  Smallpox  has  been  very  bad  here,  and  no  one 
cared  to  leave  the  train  for  a  closer  sight.  The  people  were  not 
the  only  things  to  be  seen.  I  write  of  them  as  things,  because 
under  the  present  military  policy  they  are  not  considered  human 
beings.  The  other  objects  which  excited  attention  along  the 
route  were  the  evidences  of  ruin  —  cane  fields  burned  over, 
bare  walls  and  chimneys  of  ingenios  or  sugar  mills,  heaps  of 
ashes  and  blackened  mortar,  the  absence  of  all  signs  of  life 
except  close  to  the  stations  and  forts.  Everywhere  could  be 


112  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

seen  what  seemed  to  be  great  bamboo  bird  cages.  These  were 
the  houses  of  the  people  who  tilled  the  soil.  These  houses  had 
not  been  burned.  Instead  they  were  unroofed,  the  weather 
boarding,  if  it  might  be  called  that,  taken  off  and  the  poles  and 
rafters  left.  If  peace  ever  comes  they  may  be  thatched  with 
palm  and  again  be  habitable.  But  now  they  must  shelter  no  one. 

Matanzas  is  reached  at  last.  We  may  not  stop  now  to  look 
out  across  the  bay  which  has  made  it  celebrated.  There  will 
be  time  enough  later  to  hear  of  the  lost  trade  and  dead  com- 
merce of  this  Liverpool  of  the  Antilles.  We  can  easily  under- 
stand that  a  splendid  harbor  cannot  be  filled  with  ships  when 
the  sugar  they  once  carried  away  was  this  year  only  acres  and 
acres  of  charred  cane.  But  at  present  our  course  lays  away 
from  the  harbor,  through  the  narrow  streets  to  Cascoro  Hill. 
That  is  where  most  of  the  pacificos  are  located.  It  has  been 
their  home  for  months,  and  will  be  for  those  of  them  that  sur- 
vive for  months  to  come.  It  is  said  to  be  the  best  settlement 
on  the  place  for  natural  sanitary  conditions,  and  also  for  sup- 
plies. Smallpox  ran  its  course  months  ago,  and  having 
exhausted  itself,  is  no  longer  to  be  feared.  Some  thousand  of 
the  pacificos  have  been  sent  into  the  country  villages,  which  is 
worse  for  them,  but  better  for  those  who  remain.  That  is, 
they  have  a  large  town  —  Matanzas  once  had  a  population  of 
50,000  —  in  which  to  beg  food,  and  there  are  fewer  of  them  to 
be  fed. 

Hundreds  of  palm  huts  are  on  Cascoro  Hill.  They  are  built 
without  order  or  regulation.  All  are  alike  inside.  The  gravel 
and  dirt  make  the  floor.  Boards  stretched  along  the  sides 
serve  for  tables  and  for  beds.  A  few  have  chairs,  others  simply 
rough  benches.  The  household  effects  are  usually  a  few  old 
clothes  in  the  corner.  Two  or  three  tin  pans  are  the  cooking 
utensils,  which  are  seldom  needed,  because  there  is  nothing  to 
cook.  The  bedding  is  an  old  blanket  or  sheet  spread  over  the 
boards.  Sometimes  a  rude  makeshift  of  a  litter  serves  for  a 
bed.  Some  of  the  huts  have  rough  partitions,  but  many  of 
them  are  single  rooms.  All  show  in  their  interior  furnishings 
what  would  be  called  in  the  states  abject  poverty. 


DR.  AND  MRS.  KLOPSCH  AT  THE  GRAVE  OF  THE  MAINE 
VICTIMS,  HAVANA 


RELIEF  WORK  AMONG  THE   CUBAN  RECONCENTRADOS 


SUCCOR  FOR  STRICKEN  CUBA  113 

A  pause  at  the  doorway  of  one  of  the  huts  was  met  with  an 
invitation  to  come  in.  There  was  not  room  for  all  the  visitors, 
but  some  crowded  past  the  threshold.  A  young  woman  was 
rocking  with  a  babe  of  six  or  seven  months  on  her  lap.  She  was 
intelligent  and  answered  questions  promptly.  A  boy,  two  or 
three  years  old,  clad  in  nature's  garb,  stole  up  to  her  side.  A 
girl  of  fifteen  or  sixteen  drew  a  faded  shawl  across  her  shoulders, 
and,  her  modesty  shielded,  looked  at  the  strangers.  Through 
the  opening  of  a  partition  we  could  see  an  aged  woman  raise 
herself  from  the  litter  on  which  she  lay  and  peer  out  curiously. 
A  man  of  thirty-five  or  forty  sat  on  a  stool  and  listened  to  what 
was  asked.  Ah*  he  wanted,  he  said,  was  a  chance  to  work  in 
the  fields  and  get  something  to  eat. 

The  first  question  always  asked  of  the  pacificos  was,  "Have 
you  had  anything  to  eat  to-day?"  Sometimes  they  would  say, 
"  Un  poco" — a  little,  but  oftener  the  answer  was,  "Nada,  nada, 
nada"  —  nothing,  nothing,  nothing. 

And  when  asked  about  their  houses  in  the  country  the 
invariable  answer  was:  "Los  soldados  la  quemaron"  —  the 
soldiers  burned  it. 

Yet  there  were  a  few  spots  which  escaped  the 
ravages  of  war  and  were  free  from  reconcentration 
camps.  They  were  typical  of  the  beauty  of  peaceful 
Cuba.  One  of  these  oases  in  the  general  desolation 
was  thus  described: 

We  had  heard  of  the  ingenio  of  Toledo.  It  is  one  of  the  sugar 
mills  that  has  escaped  destruction  by  either  insurgents  or 
Spanish  troops.  Looking  across  the  miniature  valleys  and  the 
verdured  slopes  of  the  hills,  Toledo  stood  out  to  our  view  a 
picture  of  prosperity.  Green  cane  fields  formed  a  foreground 
for  it,  while  groves  of  royal  palms  were  grouped  in  the  back- 
ground. In  the  hollows  were  the  salvos,  or  spreading  elms, 
as  these  trees  would  be  called  in  the  states.  There  were  also 
the  mangoes,  their  branches  drooping  under  the  burden  of  the 
ripening  fruit.  More  than  all  these  was  the  sight  of  life,  men 


114  LIFE-WORK  OP  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

at  work  in  the  fields,  oxen  ploughing,  and  cattle  grazing,  all 
reminders  of  what  Cuba  was  before  war  made  it  a  desert. 


The  movement  in  the  United  States  for  interven- 
tion in  Cuba  became  very  strong  when  the  suffering 
there  and  the  measures  of  General  Weyler  were 
fully  known.  Every  effort  was  made  by  President 
McKinley's  administration  to  have  Spain  ameliorate 
the  situation  and  thus  avoid  American  intervention. 
Spain  heeded  the  suggestions  and  a  complete  change 
in  her  Cuban  policy  was  made.  General  Weyler 
was  recalled,  and  General  Blanco,  an  able  soldier 
and  a  most  patriotic  Spaniard,  who  had  previously 
been  in  Cuba,  was  made  Captain-General.  The 
demand  of  the  insurgents  for  independence  was  met 
by  the  offer  of  a  compromise,  which  was  known  as 
autonomy,  or  home-rule.  Spain  endeavored  in  good 
faith  to  put  this  system  into  operation,  but  the 
time  had  passed  when  it  could  prevail.  Spain  also 
sought  to  relieve  the  distress  caused  by  the  recon- 
centration  policy. 

It  was  soon  evident  that  with  the  best  intentions, 
and  with  a  sincere  purpose  to  ameliorate  the  condi- 
tion of  the  population,  Spain  was  unable  to  do  it. 
The  suffering  at  the  door  of  the  United  States  was 
too  great  to  be  longer  allowed  to  continue  with- 
out succor.  President  McKinley,  in  the  Christmas 
season  of  1897,  therefore  issued  an  appeal  to  the 
American  people  for  money  and  supplies  to  be  used 
in  behalf  of  the  starving  Cubans.  The  responses 
to  this  appeal  were  swift  and  generous.  The  Chris- 
tian Herald,  through  Dr.  Klopsch,  telegraphed  to 


SUCCOR  FOR  STRICKEN  CUBA  115 

the  Secretary  of  State,  John  Sherman,  tendering  the 
cooperation  of  the  paper  in  any  relief  work  to  be 
undertaken,  and  at  the  same  time  contributing  a 
thousand  dollars  to  aid  the  relief  at  the  outset.  A 
day  or  two  later  the  managers  of  the  Red  Cross 
Society  in  Washington  held  a  conference  with  the 
State  Department  officials,  and  immediately  there- 
after Assistant  Secretary  Adee,  in  behalf  of  the  Gov- 
ernment, proposed  the  appointment  of  a  Central 
or  Executive  Committee  of  Relief,  to  consist  of 
three  gentlemen,  under  whose  direction  the  move- 
ment should  be  conducted  throughout  the  whole 
country. 

President  McKinley  indicated  his  desire  that  Dr. 
Klopsch  should  be  a  member  of  this  committee.  It 
was  constituted  with  Stephen  E.  Barton,  of  the 
American  Red  Cross,  as  Chairman;  Charles  A. 
Schieren,  of  the  New  York  Chamber  of  Commerce, 
as  Secretary  and  Treasurer;  and  Dr.  Klopsch.  This 
committee  held  its  first  session  in  the  Bible  House, 
New  York,  on  January  3,  1898,  and  organized  for 
practical  service.  It  was  determined  to  invite  the 
cooperation  of  the  various  Chambers  of  Commerce 
and  Boards  of  Trade  throughout  the  country  and  to 
take  all  necessary  steps  to  enlist  the  sympathies  of 
the  entire  nation. 

The  vigorous  measures  that  were  initiated  under 
Dr.  Klopsch's  leadership  at  once  brought  results. 
Contributions  came  pouring  in  to  the  relief  fund. 
Supplies  were  obtained,  and  the  aid  to  the  sick  and 
dying  of  Cuba  was  immediate.  Dwight  L.  Moody 
sent  a  stirring  message  and  the  great  army  of  Chris- 


116  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

tian  Herald  readers  began  swelling  the  list  of  con- 
tributions. 

The  Government  of  the  United  States  designated 
the  Fern,  one  of  the  naval  vessels,  to  carry  the  cargo 
of  food,  and  other  supplies  were  sent  by  the  regular 
vessels.  General  Fitzhugh  Lee,  the  American  Con- 
sul-General, who  had  been  unremitting  in  his  efforts 
to  make  the  American  people  understand  the  extent 
of  the  suffering,  sent  appreciative  words  and  gave 
further  information  of  the  distribution  of  the  relief 
and  of  the  pressing  needs. 

When  the  relief  movement  was  at  its  height,  came 
the  destruction  of  the  United  States  Cruiser  Maine 
in  the  Havana  Harbor.  While  it  was  felt  that  this 
event  was  sure  to  lead  to  war,  those  who  were  engaged 
in^the  relief  work  did  not  think  that  they  should  for 
that  reason  pause.  Dr.  Klopsch  decided  to  go  to 
Havana  to  see  for  himself  the  situation.  He  arrived 
in  March  and  at  once  sent  a  cablegram  giving  the 
conditions  as  he  found  them,  and  showing  what  was 
necessary.  He  was  accompanied  by  Mrs.  Klopsch. 
They  saw  sights  right  in  Havana  that  touched  them 
as  human  hearts  are  rarely  touched. 

It  was  during  this  visit  that  I  first  met  Dr.  Klopsch. 
I  had  been  in  Cuba  for  a  year  or  more  and  was  pretty 
well  acquainted  with  the  conditions  in  all  parts  of 
the  island.  The  evening  of  his  arrival,  Mr.  E.  R. 
Johnstone,  the  correspondent  of  the  Associated 
Press,  introduced  me  to  him  at  the  Inglaterra  Hotel. 
He  at  once  began  asking  incisive  questions.  I  was 
somewhat  out  of  patience  with  red-tape  methods  of 
relief,  which  I  thought  were  too  much  in  evidence. 


STARVING  CUBANS  BEGGING  FOOD  OF  A   U.   S.   WARSHIP 
IN   HAVANA  HARBOR 


CONVALESCENT  SOLDIERS  AT  THE   CHILDREN'S  HOME 
MONT-LAWN 


SUCCOR  FOR  STRICKEN  CUBA  117 

I  told  Dr.  Klopsch  that  at  Matanzas,  fifty-five  miles 
away,  a  little  ready  money  at  that  time  would  be 
worth  more  than  thousands  of  dollars  later.  I  also 
gave  him  a  description  of  the  conditions  at  the 
town  of  Sagua-la-Grande,  two  hundred  miles  in  the 
interior. 

He  asked  me  if  I  knew  proper  persons  at  those 
points  who  could  be  entrusted  with  a  small  sum. 
I  replied  that  Mr.  Brice,  the  Consul  at  Matanzas, 
and  Captain  Barker,  the  Consul  at  Sagua-la-Grande, 
would  be  the  proper  persons.  Then  Dr.  Klopsch 
quietly  asked  how  soon  a  check  could  be  got  to  them. 
I  explained  that  the  train  which  left  Havana  at  six 
o'clock  the  following  morning  reached  Matanzas  in 
two  hours  and  arrived  at  Sagua  between  five  and 
six  in  the  evening.  Then  he  inquired  if  I  could  find 
a  trustworthy  messenger.  That  was  easily  done. 
In  response  to  further  inquiries  I  mentioned  a  thou- 
sand dollars  for  each  place  as  a  sum  which  would  do 
vast  good,  but  said  that  a  little  more  might  be 
necessary  at  Sagua.  Dr.  Klopsch  thereupon  wrote 
a  check  for  one  thousand  dollars  for  the  Consul  at 
Matanzas,  and  for  two  thousand  dollars  for  the 
Consul  at  Sagua. 

At  ten  o'clock  the  next  morning  came  a  telegram 
from  the  Consul  at  Matanzas  sending  thanks  for 
the  check.  At  seven  the  same  evening  came  a  tele- 
gram from  the  Consul  at  Sagua  expressing  his  thanks. 
Later  reports  from  them  by  mail  showed  how 
greatly  the  timely  assistance  had  been  to  them  in 
their  relief  work. 

This  incident  gave  me  an  insight  into  Dr.  Klopsch's 


118  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

methods.  All  he  ever  wanted  was  to  know  that  the 
funds  which  were  collected  by  him  for  charitable 
purposes  were  going  into  the  right  hands  and  would 
be  used  promptly.  Once  that  was  known  he  never 
hesitated  to  act. 

Dr.  Klopsch  was  hi  frequent  conference  with  Gen- 
eral Fitzhugh  Lee  and  other  Americans  in  Havana 
and  also  with  some  of  the  Spanish  officials,  who  were 
cooperating  in  the  relief  work.  No  feature  of  the 
suffering  seemed  to  escape  him.  One  day  I  told 
him  of  "the  silent  sufferers."  These  were  people 
who  either  had  been  rich  or  in  moderate  circum- 
stances, but  who,  on  account  of  the  insurrection, 
had  had  all  their  means  cut  off.  They  had  pledged 
and  pawned  about  everything  for  which  a  dollar 
could  be  obtained.  Their  situation  in  life  was  such 
that  a  public  confession  of  their  poverty  was  impos- 
sible, yet  they,  like  the  starving  reconcentrados, 
were  in  need  of  aid,  and  many  of  them  were  almost 
on  the  verge  of  starvation.  The  majority  of  these 
silent  sufferers  were  Cuban  families,  but  there  were 
some  Spaniards.  Some  bore  names  well  known  in 
Cuban  history. 

Dr.  Klopsch  inquired  as  to  how  they  could  be 
succored  without  wounding  their  sensibilities.  I  ex- 
plained that  a  list  had  already  been  prepared,  and 
that  none  of  them  would  refuse  relief  if  it  came  from 
the  hands  of  those  who  understood  the  situation. 
Thereupon  Dr.  Klopsch  wrote  a  check  for  a  liberal 
amount  which  was  placed  in  one  of  the  Havana 
banks.  A  relief  committee  was  formed,  of  which 
General  Fitzhugh  Lee,  Mr.  E.  R.  Johnstone,  and 


SUCCOR  FOR  STRICKEN  CUBA  119 

myself  were  members.  A  small  weekly  allowance  was 
made  to  the  people  on  the  list.  Refugees  in  Florida 
and  in  New  York  were  also  aided.  This  was  con- 
tinued until  the  war  actually  broke  out,  and  at  its 
close,  when  there  was  still  much  suffering,  the 
balance  which  remained  was  distributed  among  the 
most  needy  cases.  Every  dollar  distributed  in  this 
manner  was  receipted  for,  and  one  day  in  New 
York  when  I  showed  Dr.  Klopsch  the  names  signed 
to  some  of  the  receipts,  he  expressed  his  great  satis- 
faction that  persons  of  such  prominence  had  been 
willing  to  accept  the  aid  in  the  spirit  in  which  it 
was  given. 

The  orphans,  of  course,  were  among  the  objects  of 
his  solicitude.  General  Fitzhugh  Lee  was  specially 
concerned  about  them.  The  relief  contributions 
therefore  made  provision  for  aiding  several  orphan- 
ages and  this  support  was  continued  after  the  close 
of  the  war  and  the  establishment  of  the  American 
military  authority. 

Dr.  Klopsch  remained  in  Cuba  long  enough  to 
understand  thoroughly  the  situation.  He  saw  many 
of  the  consuls  and  received  from  them  personal 
confirmation  of  the  good  purpose  to  which  the 
relief  funds  and  supplies  were  put.  He  also  learned 
from  them  much  of  the  political  situation,  and 
received  many  evidences  of  the  gratitude  of  the 
people  of  the  stricken  island. 

In  April  Dr.  Klopsch  returned  to  the  United  States. 
He  went  to  Washington  and  reported  to  Second 
Assistant  Secretary  of  State  Adee  and  to  Judge 
Day,  the  Assistant  Secretary.  Then  he  was  sum- 


120  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

moned  to  the  White  House  and  introduced  by 
President  McKinley  to  the  members  of  the  Cabinet 
and  several  United  States  Senators  who  were  there. 
He  gave  the  President  a  very  full  report  of  the  con- 
ditions and  of  the  necessity  for  continuing  the 
succor  of  the  reconcentrados  up  to  the  last  moment. 
President  McKinley  expressed  his  appreciation  of 
the  work  Dr.  Klopsch  had  done  and  thereafter  gave 
him  many  evidences  of  confidence. 

When  Dr.  Klopsch  returned  to  the  United  States 
it  was  clear  that  war  with  Spain  was  inevitable. 
On  his  suggestion,  however,  the  shipments  of  sup- 
plies were  continued  up  to  the  very  last  moment 
until  the  Cuban  ports  were  closed  and  all  transpor- 
tation stopped. 

Then  came  the  actual  war,  the  American  military 
occupation,  and  the  establishment  of  the  Cuban 
Republic.  In  all  the  events  from  1897  to  the  raising 
of  the  flag  of  Free  Cuba,  there  is  no  brighter  page 
than  the  record  of  Dr.  Klopsch  in  relieving  the 
starving  reconcentrados  and  alleviating  the  wide- 
spread distress  of  Cubans  of  all  classes. 


CHAPTER    VIII 

FINLAND  AND   SWEDEN 

CHARACTERISTICS  OF  THE  FAR  NORTH  —  THE  CROPS  —  FAMINE  FROM  FLOOD  AND 
FROST  IN  1902-03 PRESIDENT  ROOSEVELT  CONTRIBUTES  TO  THE  "  CHRIS- 
TIAN HERALD"  RELIEF  FUND  —  DR.  KLOPSCH'S  MIDWINTER  MISSION  — 

POETRY    OF    THE    PEOPLE TRAVELING    ON     8NOWSHOE8     AND    SLEDGES 

INCIDENTS  DESCRIBED  BY  DR.   KLOP8CH WELCOME  BY  SONG  AND  FLOWERS 

FAMILY     LIFE REVERENT     CUSTOMS SUCCORING     THE     DISTRESSED 

PUBLIC  DEMONSTRATIONS FAREWELL  RECEPTION AID  FOR  SWEDEN  AND 

NORWAY RECEIVED  BY  THE  KING  AND  QUEEN  AT  STOCKHOLM AUDIENCE 

WITH  THE  DANISH  ROYAL  FAMILY  AT  COPENHAGEN  —  NORWEGIAN  APPRECIA- 
TION —  ADDRESS  FROM  FINLANDERS  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

FAMINE  gripped  the  far  frozen  north  of  Europe 
in  the  winter  of  1902-03.     Both  Finland  and 
Sweden  and  a  smaller  section  of  Norway  were 
affected. 

There  is  no  more  interesting  country  in  the  world 
than  Finland,  bordering  on  the  Baltic  Sea  and  lying 
under  the  Arctic  Circle.  It  covers  an  area  equal  to 
that  of  New  England,  New  York,  and  Pennsylvania 
combined,  and  has  a  population  of  2,500,000,  in- 
cluding the  Laplanders.  The  country  is  noted  for 
the  rocky  islets  on  the  coast  and  for  the  network  of 
lakes,  which  are  also  dotted  with  islands.  Much 
of  the  surface  is  of  highlands,  and  also  of  marshes, 
while  there  are  magnificent  forests.  It  follows  that 
farming,  fishing,  and  forestry  form  the  principal  occu- 
pations of  the  large  majority  of  the  inhabitants. 
The  rigorous  climate  of  Finland  has  produced  a 

most  vigorous  people.     The  Finnish  civilization  is 

121 


122  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

a  highly  developed  one,  and  the  country's  part  in 
history  has  been  that  of  a  sturdy  race.*  It  by  some 
may  be  considered  evidence  of  progress  that  Fin- 
land is  the  first  country  in  the  world  to  permit 
women  to  sit  in  the  parliament  or  legislative  body 
and  to  provide  for  woman  suffrage. 

The  cereal  crops,  rye,  oats,  and  barley  are  the  chief 
dependence  of  the  inhabitants  of  Finland  for  sup- 
port. A  little  wheat  is  raised  in  the  southwest  part 
and  there  is  some  corn.  This  is  planted  and  matures 
in  the  period  of  seven  weeks  in  the  very  short  and 
hot  summer.  The  chief  crop  is  barley,  which  is  raised 
as  far  north  as  69°  north  latitude  on  the  shores  of 
Lake  Inari. 

Frost  and  flood  are  the  worst  enemies  to  the 
Finnish  farmers.  Both  are  destructive  to  the  crops, 
on  which  they  must  depend.  Sometimes  also  the 
fisheries  are  a  failure.  All  these  unfortunate  cir- 
cumstances combined  in  the  winter  of  1902-03 
to  bring  distress  to  large  sections  of  the  country. 
At  Christmas  time,  when  the  rest  of  the  world  was 
rejoicing  in  plenty,  400,000  of  the  Finnish  peasants 
and  farmers  were  suffering  for  food.  Icy  blasts 
that  meant  death  to  the  unprotected  swept  down 
from  the  Arctic.  Farms,  forests,  valleys,  and  riv- 
ers, all  alike  were  sheeted  in  snow  and  ice  and 
there  was  not  food  for  the  people. 

Finland  is  divided  into  eight  provinces  or  gov- 
ernments, the  most  northerly  of  which,  that  of  Ulea- 
borg,  comprises  half  the  country,  and  it  was  in  this 
large  territory  and  in  a  lesser  degree  in  the  provinces 
immediately  to  the  south  of  it,  Vasa  to  the  west  with 


FINLAND  AND  SWEDEN  123 

a  long  coast-line  on  the  Gulf  of  Bothnia,  and  Kuopio 
to  the  east  bordering  on  Russia,  that  the  ravages 
of  the  famine  were  mainly  felt.  Uleaborg  was  the 
worst  sufferer,  lacking  as  it  did  railway  facilities  to 
provide  the  means  of  distribution. 

Dr.  Klopsch  soon  knew  of  the  suffering.  A  Fin- 
land Relief  Committee  in  New  York  sought  his 
cooperation.  Count  Andre  Bobrinskoy,  who  had 
appreciated  The  Christian  Herald's  relief  work  for 
the  Russian  people  in  the  famine  of  1892,  wrote  to 
him  from  St.  Petersburg  that  the  distress  was  acute 
and  wide-spread  and  that  want  was  almost  uni- 
versal, the  failure  of  the  harvest  having  been  more 
complete  than  that  of  1867.  Confirmatory  infor- 
mation came  from  officials  at  Helsingfors  and  at 
Uleaborg. 

There  were  300,000  Finns  in  the  United  States, 
immigrants  who  had  left  their  native  land  within 
a  period  of  a  few  years.  Most  of  them  were  quite 
poor,  but  they  were  industrious  and  were  making 
good  American  citizens.  They  were  sending  the 
bulk  of  their  scanty  savings  home  to  the  still  poorer 
ones  in  Finland. 

"America  can  help,"  said  Dr.  Klopsch,  and  at 
once  he  proceeded  to  put  the  machinery  of  help  in 
operation.  Subscriptions  were  started  by  The  Chris- 
tian Herald  and  a  remittance  of  $5,000  was  cabled 
to  the  Finnish  committee  at  Helsingfors.  This  was 
shortly  followed  by  a  second  cable  remittance.  Presi- 
dent Roosevelt  was  one  of  the  first  to  subscribe 
to  the  Finnish  fund.  In  a  letter  to  Dr.  Klopsch, 
Secretary  George  B.  Cortelyou  expressed  the  Presi- 


124  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

dent's  gratification  at  having  the  opportunity  of  con- 
tributing to  the  relief  of  the  suffering,  and  enclosed 
the  President's  contribution  to  The  Christian  Herald 
Famine  Fund,  a  check  for  $100.  The  fund  by  this 
time  exceeded  $20,000.  As  usual  the  bulk  of  it  was 
made  up  of  small  subscriptions,  —  dimes,  dollars  and 
upward  to  $10. 

Dr.  Klopsch,  when  the  machinery  of  relief,  so  far 
as  the  contributions  were  concerned,  was  in  full  oper- 
ation, decided  to  make  a  trip  himself  to  the  heart  of 
the  famine  land,  inspect  the  relief  work  and  cooperate 
with  the  Finnish  Central  Relief  Committee  and  the 
Lutheran  pastors  with  whom  he  had  been  in  com- 
munication. It  was  a  midwinter  mission  of  personal 
service  in  pursuance  of  his  fixed  policy  of  personally 
carrying  out  as  far  as  possible  the  wishes  of  those 
who  had  undertaken  through  The  Christian  Herald 
the  relief  movement. 

In  the  meantime  reports  continued  to  come  of  the 
good  the  fund  was  doing  and  of  the  need  for  more 
help.  There  was  also  much  further  information 
about  the  sturdy  Finnish  people  and  their  endurance 
under  suffering.  At  this  period  The  Christian  Her- 
ald republished  the  poem,  "Peasant  Paavo's  Faith 
in  God,"  by  the  famous  Finnish  poet,  Runeberg.  It 
is  a  wonderful  picture  which  applies  to  the  Finnish 
peasant  of  all  times,  and  is  worthy  of  a  permanent 
place  in  the  history  of  Finland's  famines. 

Another  famous  Finnish  poet  was  Elias  Lonnrot. 
In  the  far  remote  regions,  three  quarters  of  a  century 
previously  he  had  traveled  around,  dropping  into 
the  huts  of  peasants,  sitting  by  the  fireside  of  the 


FINLAND  AND  SWEDEN  125 

aged,  rowing  on  the  lakes  with  the  fishermen,  and 
following  the  flocks  with  the  shepherds.  He  was 
collecting  the  poems  circulating  by  word  of  mouth 
among  the  Finnish  people.  There  were  very  few 
who  then  could  sing  them,  and  there  was  fear  that 
they  would  be  lost  entirely.  The  poems  thus  col- 
lected by  Lonnrot  on  these  journeys  he  put  together 
and  in  1835  they  were  published  by  the  Finnish 
Literary  Society,  under  the  name  Kalevala.  It  con- 
tained the  archaeology  of  the  Finnish  people,  the 
deepest  wisdom  and  experience  of  life,  the  compre- 
hension of  the  origin  of  things  and  of  the  mysteries 
of  nature,  the  entire  folk-lore  of  the  nation,  all 
described  in  most  fascinating  poetry. 

A  new  morning  dawned  for  the  Finnish  people 
and  its  literature.  The  civilized  world  soon  recog- 
nized that  living  in  the  icy  regions  of  Europe  there 
was  a  nation  which  had  contributed  a  precious  pearl 
to  the  world's  literature.  Lonnrot  continued  his 
journeys,  and  his  example  was  followed  by  others, 
and  a  revised  edition  of  the  Kalevala  was  published 
in  the  mature  form  of  an  epic.  As  a  reward  for  his 
great  accomplishment  in  the  field  of  Finnish  liter- 
ature Lonnrot  was  elected  professor  of  the  Finnish 
language  and  literature  at  the  University  of  Hel- 
singfors  in  1853;  and  he  died  in  1854  at  the  age 
of  eighty-two.  Such  was  the  poetic  source  which 
Runeberg  drew  upon  for  his  poem. 

Dr.  Klopsch  in  his  journey  went  first  to  St.  Peters- 
burg. There  he  found  that  the  Czar,  moved  by  the 
benevolent  attitude  of  the  American  people  toward 
the  suffering  Finnish  peasants,  had  personally  inter- 


LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

ested  himself  in  organizing  relief  work  under  the 
direction  of  the  Imperial  Government.  It  was  a 
vast  scheme,  which  was  carried  out  later,  but  until 
after  the  melting  of  the  snows  and  the  subsidence 
of  the  spring  floods  work  of  this  character  could  not 
be  made  effective.  During  the  intervening  weeks 
the  great  question  was  still  to  supply  the  people 
with  the  food  necessary  to  sustain  life. 

Dr.  Klopsch  was  accompanied  by  Mr.  Gilson 
Willetts,  a  well-known  newspaper  writer.  They  pro- 
ceeded by  rail  from  St.  Petersburg  to  Helsingfors. 
Thence  the  journey  was  made  through  Finland  on 
sledges  to  the  stricken  districts.  This  was  in  March. 
At  once  cables  began  to  come  to  The  Christian  Herald 
giving  the  leading  incidents  of  the  journey,  the 
conditions  found,  and  the  need  for  more  money. 
These  statements  were  always  met  with  prompt 
remittances  by  cable. 

An  incident,  of  many  similar  ones,  was  described 
by  Mr.  Willetts  in  one  of  the  cables.  Under  date 
of  March  14, 1903,  he  telegraphed  from  Uleaborg  as 
follows: 

"Five  thousand  persons,  including  two  thousand 
school  children,  surrounded  The  Christian  Herald 
party  here  today,  bringing  tributes  of  flowers  and 
song  as  expression  of  gratitude  for  America's  loving 
sympathy  for  Finland  in  her  time  of  trouble.  Every- 
where we  were  received  with  demonstrations  of 
welcome  and  gladness,  and  the  joy  of  the  Finnish 
people  found  expression  in  song.  Our  parting  sere- 
nade at  Helsingfors  station  when  we  left  for  the  in- 
terior was  particularly  touching.  The  world's  most 
famous  male  chorus  sang,  and  five  thousand  Fin- 


FINLAND  AND  SWEDEN  127 

landers,  men  and  women,  joined  in  the  ovation  and 
tribute  to  Christian  America.  They  literally  covered 
our  party  with  flowers." 

Later  on,  March  17th,  came  a  cable  announcing 
the  arrival  of  the  party  at  the  border  of  Sweden. 
The  cable  gave  in  brief  terms  a  summary  of  the 
journey.  It  was  as  follows: 

"Dr.  Klopsch,  with  the  Christian  Herald-Finland 
relief  expedition,  today  crossed  the  Swedish  frontier 
from  Tornea,  Finland,  to  this  place,  having  driven 
from  Uleaborg  by  sledges. 

"Throughout  the  entire  journey  of  the  expedition 
from  Helsingfors  to  Tornea  on  the  Finnish  bound- 
ary line,  its  progress  was  marked  by  extraordinary 
demonstrations,  the  people  welcoming  the  travelers 
with  song,  poetry,  oratory  and  tributes  of  beautiful 
flowers  to  express  their  heart-felt  appreciation  of 
the  generosity  of  the  American  people  in  helping 
Finland  in  her  time  of  need. 

"In  three  weeks  the  expedition  has  traversed  the 
greater  part  of  northern  Finland  by  sledges,  and 
practically  every  important  center  of  distress  north 
and  east  of  Helsingfors,  being  the  first  party  of  Ameri- 
cans who  have  ever  journeyed  through  northern  and 
eastern  Finland  in  winter.  Finland's  gratitude  for 
American  help  is  universal." 

A  most  vivid  and  illuminating  account  of  the  story 
came  later  from  the  pen  of  Dr.  Klopsch  himself. 
Some  extracts  from  it  are  necessary  in  order  to  show 
the  incidents  of  the  journey  and  the  relief  that  was 
extended,  but  since  the  famine  scenes  are  now  long 
past,  their  harrowing  details  are  as  far  as  possible 
omitted. 


128  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

Dr.  Klopsch,  telling  of  the  arrival  at  Helsingfors 
and  his  interviews  with  the  Central  Relief  Committee 
there,  gave  an  explanation  of  the  methods  of  the 
Committee,  which  after  its  interview  with  him 
adopted  a  vote  of  thanks  to  the  American  people. 
Dr.  J.  N.  Reuter,  a  professor  at  the  University,  was 
designated  to  accompany  the  party  on  the  tour  of 
inspection.  Two  days  were  spent  in  making  the 
necessary  preparations.  Dr.  Klopsch  thus  describes 
the  start  for  the  frozen  north: 

"The  snow  was  twenty  inches  deep  and  what  the 
weather  might  be  no  one  could  foretell  with  any  degree 
of  accuracy.  So  we  provided  fur  coats,  mittens, 
storm  caps,  boots  and  rubbers,  and  laid  in  a  stock 
of  provisions  sufficient  to  meet  the  requirements  of 
four  men  for  at  least  two  weeks.  Arrangements 
were  made  by  wire  for  three  sledges  at  Idensalmi, 
the  last  railway  station.  All  our  trunks  were  sent  to 
Stockholm,  and  each  of  us  started  out  with  only  one 
suit  of  clothing  so  as  to  reduce  to  a  minimum  the 
baggage  to  be  carried. 

"When  we  arrived  at  Helsingfors  station  a  delight- 
ful surprise  awaited  us.  The  committee  and  a  vast 
host  of  people  had  gathered  to  see  us  off.  Fifty 
young  ladies,  each  bearing  a  tiny  bouquet  with  the 
stems  held  in  a  small  colored  glass  receptacle  with 
a  wire  collar,  the  end  of  which  was  shaped  into  a  hook, 
were  in  the  center  of  the  station;  and  they  advanced 
and  fastened  the  hooks  into  my  overcoat,  literally 
covering  my  chest  with  flowers.  They  adorned  me 
in  accord  with  the  custom  of  manifesting  apprecia- 
tion in  vogue  in  Finland,  and  much  to  my  personal 
embarrassment  I  was  led  to  the  platform.  The 
moment  I  arrived  the  Helsingfors  male  chorus,  said 
to  be  the  finest  in  Europe,  began  to  sing.  After  they 


FINLAND  AND  SWEDEN  129 

had  sung  three  or  four  times  I  addressed  the  gath- 
ering, telling  them  that  while  I  felt  personally 
unworthy  of  this  demonstration,  I  accepted  it  as 
intended  for  the  American  people,  to  whom  I  would 
faithfully  report  this  manifestation  of  gratitude  and 
appreciation.  Then  the  male  chorus  sang  the  Fin- 
nish national  air,  and  while  they  were  yet  singing 
and  the  people  shouting  'God  bless  you/  the  train 
drew  out  of  the  station  and  we  were  on  our  way  to 
the  famine  fields  in  the  interior." 

At  the  various  stops  along  the  route  to  Idensalmi, 
they  saw  many  evidences  of  suffering  from  hunger, 
and  made  arrangements  for  such  relief  as  could  be 
afforded. 

"At  Idensalmi,"  wrote  Dr.  Klopsch,  "we  experi- 
mented somewhat  with  snowshoes.  If  we  could  get 
accustomed  to  their  use  it  would  greatly  facilitate 
our  reaching  homes  which  otherwise  might  prove 
inaccessible.  We  practiced  half  an  hour  and  at  the 
conclusion  of  our  efforts  all  we  could  say  was  that 
we  had  not  fallen  nor  had  we  made  any  progress. 
We  must  have  been  very  awkward,  for  we  completely 
failed  in  our  attempts,  although  children  as  young 
as  five  glided  by  us  with  the  swiftness  of  a  bird. 
Darkness  having  set  in  we  gave  it  up  for  once  and 
for  all. 

"At  six  in  the  morning  the  world  about  us  suddenly 
became  musical.  Some  young  farmers  in  the  neigh- 
borhood had  recently  united  and  had  formed  a  brass 
band.  They  wished  to  express  their  thanks  to  their 
American  friends  for  what  was  being  done  for  the 
poor  of  their  country,  and  as  they  lacked  eloquence 
they  substituted  a  generous  portion  of  the  best 
music  at  their  command. 

"From  Idensalmi  we  traveled  twenty-two  miles 


180  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

by  sledge  to  the  post  house  at  Hirvijarvi,  stopping 
here  and  there  on  the  way  to  visit  the  cottagers 
within  sight  from  the  road.  Extreme  poverty  was 
everywhere  prevalent.  Most  of  the  people  visited 
belonged  to  the  class  known  as  tenant  farmers. 
They  lease  the  land  on  which  their  cottages  are 
erected  and  pay  the  yearly  rental  in  ten,  twenty, 
or  thirty,  or  more  days'  work  on  the  farm  of  the 
owner.  As  a  rule  they  ply  a  trade  in  addition  to 
caring  for  their  own  garden,  and  thus  in  prosperous 
times  eke  out  a  comfortable  existence.  At  a  cob- 
bler's home  we  found  an  old  lady  of  seventy  sick  with 
fever,  and  four  little  children.  The  mother  was  out 
seeking  work  or  food.  Not  a  loaf  of  bread  in  the 
house  and  not  a  drop  of  milk  or  nourishment  of  any 
kind  visible.  The  patient  could  not  rise  from  her 
bed.  The  children  looked  swollen  in  body  and  face, 
distended  as  the  result  of  eating  innutritions  and  indi- 
gestible food.  In  this,  as  in  every  case,  the  visit- 
ors left  bread  and  of  their  personal  means  enough 
money  to  tide  the  sufferers  over  their  immediate 
requirements. 

"The  Finns  are  not  a  complaining  people  and  are 
very  reticent  about  their  own  affairs.  It  would 
never  occur  to  them  to  tell  an  outsider  that  their 
stock  of  bread  was  exhausted  or  that  they  had  last 
week  killed  their  cow  because  there  was  no  fodder 
to  keep  it  alive,  or  that  they  had  so  long  been  with- 
out meat  and  vegetables  as  to  have  almost  forgotten 
the  taste  of  them.  We  discovered  the  best  way  of 
securing  information  from  Finns  concerning  their 
own  condition  is  never  to  ask  them  about  themselves, 
but  always  about  their  neighbors.  They  will  elo- 
quently plead  their  neighbors'  case,  but  they  can- 
not beg  for  themselves,  for  with  most  of  them  it  is 
harder  to  beg  than  to  die. 

"Early  in  the  afternoon  we  reached  Paisuva  and 


FINLAND  AND  SWEDEN  131 

stopped  to  rest  at  a  farmhouse.  The  farmer,  a  very 
pious  man,  gladly  received  us  and  made  us  feel  quite 
at  home.  He  was  as  hospitable  as  his  means  per- 
mitted. His  house  and  his  table  were  at  our  dis- 
posal. Lack  of  sleep  and  much  traveling  had  made 
us  tired.  He  took  us  into  the  parlor,  which  was  also 
his  bed-room.  Lately  it  had  pleased  Providence  to 
bereave  him.  A  child  of  ten  had  been  taken,  and 
over  the  bed  hung  a  photograph  of  the  dead  child 
on  its  bier  with  father  and  mother  looking  at  the 
remains  of  their  beloved  dead.  Ghastly  as  the  pic- 
ture appeared  to  us,  dear  it  was  to  him;  it  reminded 
him  of  the  beloved  one  waiting  for  him  at  the  celestial 
gates.  We  stepped  over  to  the  bed  and  looked  at  it. 
His  eyes  were  in  the  same  direction.  They  were  wet 
with  tears.  We  said  nothing,  but  we  each  felt  that 
to  him  that  picture  was  sacred.  After  serving  us 
with  delicious  coffee  and  home-made  cakes,  he  har- 
nessed up  his  own  horses  in  order  to  give  ours  a  rest 
and  took  us  to  another  village." 

Continuing  the  story  of  the  journey  Dr.  Klopsch 
wrote: 

"After  traveling  all  day  in  sledges  we  arrived  at 
Kajani  at  6.30  in  the  evening,  wiping  our  feet  care- 
fully on  the  pine  branches  which  took  the  place  of 
rugs  at  the  front  door  of  every  Finnish  country  home. 
We  entered  the  hut,  took  off  our  rubbers  —  every- 
body wears  rubbers  here  —  hung  up  our  furs,  and 
found  four  rooms  neatly  furnished,  all  ready  for  our 
occupancy. 

"A  host  of  people  had  gathered  to  welcome  us,  ac- 
cording to  Finland's  custom,  with  song  and  flowers. 
The  latter  consisted  of  a  tiny  bouquet,  but  the  former 
was  very  abundant  and  very  touching.  I  addressed 
them  in  a  few  words,  telling  them  of  the  generous 
hearted  Christian  people  across  the  great  deep,  who, 
as  descendants  of  Europe,  gladly  responded  to  every 


132  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

cry  for  help  from  the  motherland,  and  cheerfully  con- 
tributed to  the  needs  of  the  old  folks  at  home.  Pro- 
fessor Reuter,  who  acted  as  interpreter,  translated 
my  remarks  into  Finnish. 

"A  meal  in  Finland  differs  greatly  from  a  meal  in 
America.  It  is  specially  adapted  to  the  climate, 
and  while  very  acceptable  in  Finland,  would  be  im- 
possible in  our  own  country.  As  one  enters  the  din- 
ing room  he  finds  a  table  set  and  on  it  there  is  caviare, 
smoked  salmon,  bologna,  herring,  sardines,  ham, 
choice  pickles,  and  ponderous  quantities  of  unsalted 
butter  and  spiced  Swedish  bread,  baked  like  pilot 
bread  as  to  size  and  crispness.  This  all  constitutes 
what  is  generally  known  as  'smorgasbord,'  or  bread- 
and-butter  table.  A  stranger  not  acquainted  with 
Finnish  custom  would  be  apt  to  make  a  meal  of  these 
delicacies,  in  which  case  a  surprise  would  await  him, 
for  very  soon  the  dishes  are  removed  and  a  regu- 
lar course  dinner,  beginning  with  soup  and  ending 
with  desert,  is  served  in  regulation  style,  the  cold 
dishes  having  been  intended  only  as  an  appetizer. 
All  of  the  courses  are  exceedingly  rich,  pastry  being 
eaten  with  the  soup,  and  everything  else  swims  in 
prodigious  quantities  of  fat.  But  all  this  is  necessary 
in  a  climate  like  that  of  Finland,  where  the  thermom- 
eter frequently  falls  to  30°  below  zero  and  a  fall  of  50° 
in  the  temperature  in  a  single  day  is  by  no  means 
an  exceptional  occurrence.  In  large  hotels  smorgas- 
bord is  served  on  a  side  table;  each  guest,  taking  a 
plate,  knife  and  fork,  helps  himself  to  whatever  best 
suits  his  fancy  and  then  retires  to  eat,  either  stand- 
ing or  sitting  at  the  table  where  the  dinner  proper  is 
to  be  served.  The  piety  of  the  Finlanders,  and  I 
use  this  word  so  as  to  include  both  native  Finns  and 
those  of  Swedish  descent,  is  frequently  manifest  at 
this  time,  when  standing  erect  with  hands  clasped 
and  heart  bowed  many  say  grace  before,  and  fre- 


MARKET-PLACE  AT  HELSINGFORS,  FINLAND 


DR.  KLOPSCH  AND  THE  FINNISH  RELIEF  COMMITTEE 


FINLAND  AND  SWEDEN  133 

quently  after,  meals  regardless  of  how  many  others 
may  be  present." 

Kajani  was  the  very  center  of  the  famine  district. 
There  Dr.  Klopsch  and  party  remained  some  time, 
gathering  much  information  from  Pastor  Wayrynen, 
the  head  of  the  Lutheran  Church  for  the  dis- 
trict. He  escorted  them  to  the  neighboring  villages 
and  told  them  about  the  people.  The  son  of  a  peas- 
ant, he  had  made  his  way  through  college  and  now 
ministered  to  the  very  class  among  whom  he  had 
spent  his  early  days.  He  told  of  their  simple  life, 
their  firm  unwavering  faith  in  God,  their  unswerving 
honesty,  their  utter  unselfishness,  and  their  readi- 
ness to  share  the  last  morsel  of  bread  with  a  suffer- 
ing neighbor.  He  particularly  dwelt  upon  their 
abstinence  from  intoxicants.  In  the  entire  district, 
embracing  49,000  souls,  there  was  but  one  tavern. 

Pastor  Wayrynen  said  that  the  Finns  were  so 
intensely  and  consistently  religious  that  many  a 
time  when  throughout  the  entire  week  heavy  rains 
interfered  with  the  gathering  of  the  slim  crop  that 
had  survived  here  and  there  the  untimely  snows, 
and  Sunday's  sun  shone  brightly  and  the  cool  dry 
breezes  would  invite  an  effort  to  save  what  might 
still  be  saved,  the  Finns  steadfastly  and  almost 
without  exception  refused  to  do  manual  labor  on  the 
Lord's  day,  preferring  to  lose  what  was  left  rather 
than  do  anything  their  conscience  could  not  approve. 

His  account  of  the  second  day  at  Kajani  Dr. 
Klopsch  continued  as  follows: 

"The  first  thing  I  learned  was  the  greeting  cus- 
tomary in  Finland  on  meeting  one  another  in  the 


134  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

morning.  The  first  one  to  speak  says,  'Hyvaa- 
paivaa,'  which  means,  'Good  day/  and  the  other 
responds  reverently,  'Jumala  antakoon,'  or,  'God 
grant  it.'  Three  sledges  started  out  that  morning 
from  Kajani  on  their  errand  of  mercy.  One  con- 
tained all  the  bread  the  local  bakery  could  supply. 
It  was  hot  and  aromatic  when  we  received  it,  but 
the  chilling  breezes  soon  rendered  it  as  cold  as  its 
surroundings.  Our  first  stop  was  Kirkoaho,  and 
here  we  visited  all  the  different  cottages  within  the 
radius  of  time  and  opportunity.  Everywhere  the 
same  signs  of  utter  destitution  confronted  us,  and 
we  could  not  fail  to  notice  a  universal  condition  of 
nervousness  begotten  of  a  continuous  feeling  of 
uncertainty  concerning  the  next  meal  of  black  bread 
and  water.  And  here  for  the  first  time  we  met  one 
of  the  most  touching  sights  we  were  thereafter  fre- 
quently called  upon  to  encounter.  I  refer  to  infants 
extracting  nourishment  from  'sugar  plums'  made 
of  hunger-bread  tied  up  in  the  corner  of  a  napkin 
and  dipped  in  salt  water.  Mothers  will  understand 
why  some  of  us  shed  tears  when  we  saw  it. 

"Driving  from  one  cottage  to  another  we  met  a 
funeral  cortege  of  sledges  coming  from  the  opposite 
direction.  The  path  across  the  snow  was  too  narrow 
to  admit  of  our  passing  each  other.  The  first  sledge 
bore  a  white  ribbon  which  indicated  the  presence  of 
the  dead.  In  this  instance  it  was  the  body  of  a  child, 
a  girl  of  eleven.  Over  the  coffin,  a  strange  looking 
arrangement,  were  strewn  pine  branches.  Our  driver 
hailed  the  other,  saying  that  we  were  the  Americans, 
and  the  cortege  was  about  to  be  obligingly  directed 
into  the  depths  of  the  snow  at  the  side  of  the  road 
when  we  insisted  that  the  right  of  way  should  be 
granted  to  the  mourners,  but  owing  to  the  narrowness 
of  the  road  this  could  not  be  accomplished  without 
upsetting  both  parties;  so  we  all  got  out,  unhar- 


FINLAND  AND  SWEDEN  135 

nessed  the  horses,  and  lifted  the  sledges  around  each 
other.  Inside  of  ten  minutes  the  funeral  procession 
continued  one  way  and  we  the  other. 

"At  Jorma,  the  next  village,  after  visiting  sev- 
eral cottages,  tired,  weary  and  heart-sick,  we  turned 
back  and  reached  the  hotel  long  after  darkness  had 
set  in,  but  two  hours  earlier  than  we  had  considered 
possible,  which  we  effected  by  urging  our  drivers  on 
to  the  utmost  speed  by  the  use  of  a  few  Finnish 
words  that  seemed  to  potently  appeal  to  them. 
They  meant  'hurry,'  but  they  were  backed  by  a  word 
which  meant  a  gratuity  of  40  cents  each.  They 
said  nothing,  but  hurried  on  and  brought  us  home 
as  quickly  as  the  horses  would  travel.  The  Finns 
generally  are  a  people  of  but  few  words.  A  country 
like  theirs,  long  winter  nights  and  eight  months  of 
deep  snow  with  nothing  visible  for  miles  at  a  time 
but  spectral  and  silent  pine  groves,  is  not  conducive 
to  vivacity  of  spirits  and  great  loquacity.  Then 
again  the  leathern  skies  all  through  the  winter  are 
apt  to  depress  the  spirits  and  make  the  people  delib- 
erate of  both  speech  and  action. 

"While  sad  and  distressing  scenes  abounded 
everywhere,  many  cottages  contained  contented  and 
happy  families  kept  busy  and  cheerful  by  home 
employments  devised  by  those  who  had  laid  it  upon 
their  hearts  to  relieve  the  fearful  suffering  and  to 
stay  the  relentless  hand  of  death.  Looms  were  being 
operated  by  the  women,  fishing  nets  made  by  the 
children,  woodwork  manufactured  by  the  men;  and 
suspended  poles  containing  bread,  —  always  baked 
in  Finland  flat  with  a  large  hole  in  the  center,  — 
gave  evidence  that  industry  made  practicable  by  the 
thoughtfulness  of  those  entrusted  with  relief  opera- 
tions was  providing  the  staff  of  life  for  multitudes 
who  but  for  these  measures  must  long  ere  this  have 
filled  an  untimely  grave. 


136  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

"At  midnight  we  arrived  at  Ransila.  The  post 
house  had  only  one  room  to  spare.  There  were  two 
beds.  Two  of  us  occupied  these  and  two  slept  on 
the  floor.  The  windows,  sealed  as  usual,  kept  out 
even  a  suspicion  of  fresh  air  and  the  atmosphere 
consequently  was  almost  intolerable.  The  next  day 
we  visited  Saraisniemi,  and  here  we  met  the  worst 
destitution  in  all  Finland.  But  in  order  to  reach 
Uleaborg  I  must  hasten  on.  We  left  Helsingfors 
March  2d,  and  it  was  March  13th  when  to  our  great 
joy  we  again  saw  railroad  tracks  at  Laminka.  Here 
an  ovation  awaited  us.  The  public  evening  school 
had  arranged  a  reception.  The  scholars,  young  men 
and  women,  all  peasants,  sang  for  us,  and  the  prin- 
cipal made  a  very  eulogistic  address  in  German. 
He  almost  exhausted  his  vocabulary  in  search  for 
fitting  terms  to  express  his  gratitude  to  each  and 
every  contributor  to  the  fund  that  had  saved  his 
people  from  death.  I  responded  in  an  address  in 
German,  at  first  directed  to  the  school  and  then  to 
the  principal,  congratulating  him  on  the  mission  to 
which  he  had  evidently  been  providentially  called. 
At  7.30  we  took  the  train.  A  great  host  had  gath- 
ered at  the  depot  and  song  followed  song  until  the 
train  drew  out,  landing  us  at  8  o'clock  in  the  evening 
safe  and  sound  without  a  mishap,  providentially 
preserved,  at  Uleaborg,  the  most  northerly  city  of  the 
world. 

"That  night  in  Uleaborg  was  a  restful  one.  For 
the  first  time  in  two  weeks  we  slept  in  real  beds. 
Throughout  the  country  districts  of  Finland  they 
use  what  I  designate  as  telescope  beds.  These  beds 
resemble  an  extension  dining  table.  When  not  in 
use  the  bed-clothes  are  doubled  up  and  the  bed  itself 
is  telescoped  to  one-third  its  natural  size.  As  the 
Finns  are  rather  short  of  stature,  the  beds  when 
extended  to  full  length  are  under-sized.  The  head- 


FINLAND  AND  SWEDEN  137 

board  is  always  toward  the  center  of  the  room  so 
that  the  feet  are  toward  the  wall." 

Describing  the  events  of  the  party's  stay  at  .Ulea- 
borg,  Dr.  Klopsch  wrote: 

"The  morning  after  we  arrived  we  were  as  usual 
besieged  by  a  small  army  of  mendicants  who  pite- 
ously  pleaded  with  tears  in  their  eyes  for  help.  To 
some  cash  relief  was  given,  while  others  were  referred 
to  the  exceptionally  efficient  provincial  relief  com- 
mittee. Before  leaving  the  hotel  we  were  waited 
on  by  the  Lutheran  clergy  of  the  city,  who  came  to 
pay  their  respects  and  to  assure  us  that  America  had 
afforded  a  'never  to  be  forgotten  assistance  to  a 
patient,  long-suffering,  and  honest  people  who  will 
ever  hold  in  grateful  remembrance  the  practical 
manifestation  of  true  Christian  love  of  which  they  had 
been  the  appreciative  recipients  when  almost  over- 
whelmed with  affliction  which  they  had  tried  hard 
to  bear  without  complaint  and  without  publicity.' 

"At  noon  there  was  a  great  gathering  in  the  public 
square  in  front  of  the  hotel.  Word  was  sent  me  that 
I  should  hold  myself  in  readiness  for  a  tremendous 
public  demonstration.  The  Mayor  of  the  city  wel- 
comed me.  Before  us  were  2,000  school  children 
who  had  been  marshaled  into  position  to  sing  to  the 
American  visitors,  the  first  ever  known  to  have 
traversed  Finland  during  the  winter  season  and  who 
had  come  as  friends  on  an  errand  of  mercy  at  a  time 
when  traveling  in  that  country  required  some  greater 
incentive  than  the  quest  for  mere  pleasure  and 
recreation.  In  addition  to  the  children,  about  3,000 
adults  had  assembled,  so  that  there  were  fully 
5,000  people  confronting  us.  The  precentor  led  the 
children,  and  they  sang  as  though  it  seemed  direct 
from  the  hearts.  Then  the  Mayor  addressed  us  in 
English  and  I  replied  in  the  same  language,  which 


138  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

Dr.  Reuter  kindly  interpreted  to  the  audience. 
The  utmost  enthusiasm  prevailed.  Cheer  after  cheer 
went  up  and  America  and  the  Americans  were 
applauded  vociferously.  Then  a  few  flowers  were 
presented  by  little  girls,  each  of  whom  made  a  brief 
address,  which  we  of  course  could  not  .understand, 
but  the  meaning  of  which  we  recognized  from  the 
eyes  of  the  tiny  orators." 

Some  time  was  spent  by  Dr.  Klopsch  in  attending 
to  the  details  of  the  relief  and  listening  to  the  reports 
which  were  made.  In  the  afternoon  of  the  same  day 
the  party  took  the  train  to  Kemi,  the  most  northerly 
railway  station  in  Finland  and  from  which  sledges 
were  again  employed  to  take  them  to  Tornea  at  the 
northern  point  of  the  Gulf  of  Bothnia;  thence  to  Ha- 
paranda,  the  first  stopping  point  across  the  Swedish 
boundary,  and  from  there  to  Majarvi,  the  first  rail- 
way station  in  Sweden.  Describing  various  inci- 
dents of  the  day  and  trip,  Dr.  Klopsch  said  in  his 
letter: 

"We  were  interrupted  at  every  station  by  mul- 
titudes who  had  come  to  welcome  and  thank  us  in 
song.  The  majority  of  them  must  have  traveled 
many  miles,  for  usually  the  villages  are  greatly  scat- 
tered and  consequently  sparsely  populated.  In- 
variably I  appeared  on  the  platform  and  addressed 
them.  At  Kemi  1,200  had  gathered.  The  winds 
were  icy,  but  for  a  full  hour  I  stood  bare-headed  at 
the  station  door.  Never  had  I  seen  greater  disci- 
pline in  the  handling  of  a  crowd.  Song  after  song 
and  speech  after  speech  were  delivered." 

Recounting  the  farewell  reception  at  Tornea,  Dr. 
Klopsch  wrote: 


FINLAND  AND  SWEDEN  139 

"The  public  schools  had  been  granted  a  holiday 
in  order  that  all  the  children  might  help  to  honor 
the  American  visitors,  and  they  were  there  in  great 
numbers.  On  entering  the  municipal  building  we 
were  escorted  to  a  place  in  the  assembly  room.  Two 
or  three  songs  were  sung  by  the  people  and  then 
the  Mayor  made  a  very  impressive  address,  in  the 
course  of  which  he  paid  the  highest  compliment  to 
American  philanthropy.  Then  came  another  song, 
followed  by  my  reply,  again  interpreted  by  Professor 
Renter.  Then  the  superintendent  of  the  schools 
made  a  long  and  very  impassioned  address  extol- 
ling Finland  and  the  Finns,  their  civilization,  their 
simplicity  of  life,  their  virtues,  and  their  institutions 
of  learning.  During  his  remarks  the  tears  literally 
rolled  down  his  cheeks.  At  the  conclusion  of  his 
address  he  presented  me  with  two  volumes  of  the 
Kalevala.  In  reply  I  told  him  how  near  the  suffer- 
ings of  his  people  have  brought  them  to  the  hearts 
of  our  own,  and  that  since  the  first  reports  of  famine 
the  Americans  had  studied  up  carefully  all  about  Fin- 
land and  had  learned  of  all  their  piety,  their  noble 
character  and  educational  institutions,  their  high 
respect  for  womanhood,  their  art  and  their  litera- 
ture. Then,  after  the  Finnish  national  song,  followed 
a  hand-shaking  of  unusual  proportion,  of  which  the 
children  got  the  major  share. 

i  "Imagining  that  the  reception  closed  then  and 
there,  I  shook  hands  again  with  those  in  charge,  and 
was  surprised  to  learn  that  the  demonstration  thus 
ended  was  in  reality  but  the  commencement  of 
things,  and  that  now  we  would  all  meet  in  the  an- 
cient Lutheran  Church,  there  to  sing  praises  to  our 
Heavenly  Father  for  having  influenced  the  heart 
of  a  great  nation  to  come  to  the  relief  of  the  simple, 
pious  people  of  unhappy  Finland.  So  in  a  procession 
we  all  marched  down  the  main  thoroughfare  to  the 


140  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

venerable  church  with  its  ancient  mural  paintings, 
and  there,  crowded  to  its  utmost  capacity  and  led 
by  the  pastor,  hymns  of  praise  and  thanksgiving 
were  sung  to  Him  who  in  the  Heavens  regulates 
the  destinies  of  the  nations  of  the  earth.  Then  the 
entire  assembly  escorted  us  to  the  bridge  between 
Sweden  and  Finland.  On  reaching  the  dividing 
line,  Professor  Reuter  and  Mr.  Alopaens  on  behalf 
of  Finland  formally  delivered  us  safe  and  sound 
in  the  presence  of  the  great  audience  to  Captain 
Samdbaum  and  Reverend  Julivo,  the  representa- 
tives of  Sweden.  The  people  sang,  and  one  of  their 
number  addressed  us. 

"To  their  farewell  address  I  replied:  *  Permit  me 
to  express  to  you  and  all  the  good  people  of  Finland 
my  heart-felt  thanks  for  your  generous  hospitality 
to  me  while  in  your  lovely  land.  Words  cannot 
express  how  greatly  I  appreciate  your  simple  life, 
which  I  have  had  exceptional  opportunities  to 
observe  and  which  has  been  to  me  an  object  lesson 
that  I  shall  ever  remember.  Your  earnestness,  sin- 
cerity and  simplicity  have  greatly  impressed  me,  and 
I  leave  you  with  unfeigned  regret.  Your  custom 
of  expressing  your  affection  in  song  and  flowers  is 
indeed  very  touching,  and  has  been  to  me  a  genuine 
inspiration.  May  God  abundantly  bless  Finland 
and  speedily  drive  from  it  the  dark  specter  of  famine 
that  now  enshrouds  it.  God  bless  America  for  what 
it  has  done  for  you  to  bring  to  your  homes  hope, 
comfort  and  sunshine.'  Then  followed  the  familiar 
cheer,  'Alakoon,'  ('Long  live  Totori  Klopsch!'),  and 
while  it  was  given  we  stepped  across  the  line  into 
Sweden." 

Parts  of  Sweden  and  also  a  small  section  of  Nor- 
way suffered  from  the  same  causes  that  caused  the 
famine  in  Finland.  The  distress  was  mostly  north 


FINNISH  CHILDREN  IN  A  PEASANT  SCHOOL 


FARM  LABORERS  OF  FINLAND 


FINLAND  AND  SWEDEN  141 

of  the  Arctic  Circle,  where  the  people  had  had  snow 
and  ice  for  months.  It  was  estimated  200,000  Scan- 
dinavians were  in  want.  Correspondents  of  Ameri- 
can newspapers  gave  pitiful  details  of  the  famine  in 
north  Sweden.  The  Scandinavian  people  of  the 
United  States  were  prompt  to  come  to  the  help  of 
their  countrymen  in  distress.  Relief  committees  were 
organized  and  very  substantial  contributions  were 
forwarded,  which  were  distributed  from  the  relief 
committee  in  Stockholm. 

Dr.  JQopsch  could  not  be  blind  to  this  condition. 
The  Christian  Herald  relief  movements  never  knew 
geographical  lines.  Pastor  Mauritz  Stolpe,  of  the 
Swedish  Lutheran  Gustavus  Adolphus  Church  in 
New  York,  wrote  him  briefly  of  the  facts,  saying 
that  since  the  years  of  war  in  1808-09  no  one  had 
witnessed  anything  like  the  condition  in  Sweden. 
He  closed  his  letter:  "Please  hearken  to  the  appeal 
of  the  stricken  people." 

Dr.  Klopsch  made  personal  observations  and  gath- 
ered the  facts  when  he  was  in  Finland.  As  soon  as 
he  reached  Stockholm  he  made  inquiry  regarding 
the  means  of  distributing  relief  funds.  He  there- 
upon transferred  to  the  Central  Relief  Committee 
about  $27,000  for  Swedish  relief,  and  more  than 
$5,000  for  the  relief  operations  in  Norway.  He  also 
took  pains  through  the  columns  of  The  Christian 
Herald  to  bring  the  situation  to  the  attention  of  the 
generous  people  of  the  United  States. 

The  following  special  cable  despatch  from  Stock- 
holm, under  date  of  March  23d,  gave  in  very  brief 
form  the  facts: 


142  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

"The  Christian  Herald  relief  party,  consisting  of 
Dr.  Louis  Klopsch  and  Mr.  Gilson  Willetts,  arrived 
in  Stockholm  from  Finland  yesterday.  American 
flags  were  displayed  on  public  buildings,  the  Ameri- 
can Legation  hoisting  for  the  first  time  in  its  history 
the  American  flag  for  a  private  citizen. 

"Today  at  noon  the  relief  party  lunched  at  the 
Legation.  Minister  Thomas  in  his  address  said 
this  great  charity  had  done  more  to  bind  Sweden 
and  America  closely  together  than  anything  that  had 
been  accomplished  in  40  years. 

"At  2  o'clock  the  unusual  distinction  was  granted 
of  a  special  audience  of  half  an  hour  in  the  pri- 
vate chambers  of  the  King  and  Queen,  who  were 
together. 

"Their  Majesties  expressed  their  heart-felt  thanks 
to  the  great-hearted  American  people  for  their  kind- 
ness to  the  suffering  people  of  Sweden.  Both  were 
moved  to  tears  when  told  that  there  were  many 
thousands  of  infant  contributors  to  the  relief  work. 
The  King  said  he  was  sure  the  Swedes  made  good 
American  citizens,  reflecting  credit  alike  on  them- 
selves and  on  their  adopted  and  mother  countries. 
He  hoped  the  visitors  liked  Sweden.  He  was  proud, 
he  said,  to  be  King  of  such  a  country  and  such  a 
people.  At  the  Queen's  invitation  the  relief  party 
visited  a  hospital  founded  by  Her  Majesty." 

The  Central  Relief  Committee  at  Stockholm  also 
sent  a  cable  despatch  to  The  Christian  Herald  saying 
that  the  Swedish  sufferers  desired  to  thank  the 
American  people  for  their  magnificent  relief. 

Dr.  Klopsch  went  from  Stockholm  to  St.  Peters- 
burg, and  then  started  back  to  the  United  States. 
The  party  stopped  at  Copenhagen,  where  an  audi- 
ence was  given  by  the  Danish  Royal  family.  This 


FINLAND  AND  SWEDEN  143 

was   described   by   Dr.    Klopsch   in   the   following 
cablegram: 

"COPENHAGEN,  APRIL  11,  1903.  — Today  we  were 
favored  with  an  audience  lasting  an  hour  with  King 
Christian  of  Denmark,  Queen  Alexandra  of  England, 
and  the  Dowager  Empress  of  Russia.  It  took  place 
at  the  Royal  Palace. 

"Queen  Alexandra,  who  was  the  first  to  enter, 
expressed  her  profound  appreciation  of  the  good 
work  done  by  Americans  for  India,  during  and  since 
the  famine.  She  had  read  and  heard  of  its  magni- 
tude with  ever  increasing  admiration.  She  begged 
that  the  generous  people  of  America  might  be  assured 
of  England's  sincerest  gratitude. 

"The  Dowager  Empress  of  Russia  was  moved  to 
tears  at  the  recital  of  our  Finland  famine  experi- 
ences. Both  Queen  and  Empress  repeatedly  ex- 
pressed the  deepest  sympathy  with  the  sufferers. 
The  recital  of  incidents  showing  the  self-denial  prac- 
ticed by  many  of  the  poor  contributors  to  the  relief 
fund  evoked  many  times  the  expression,  'God  bless 
and  reward  them.' 

"King  Christian,  who  spoke  in  German,  was  very 
cordial,  and  said  at  parting,  'Please  convey  my 
greetings  to  the  Danes  in  America,  from  whom  I 
have  received  many  tokens  of  continued  love  and 
loyalty.' 

"On  Friday  forenoon  we  had  the  pleasure  of  an 
audience  with  the  Crown  Prince,  and  in  the  even- 
ing we  were  entertained  at  dinner  with  his  family, 
twenty  sitting  at  a  table." 

After  his  return  to  New  York,  Dr.  Klopsch  was 
overwhelmed  with  evidences  of  the  gratitude  of  the 
countrymen  of  the  people  to  whose  relief  he  had 
come  in  the  hour  of  famine.  The  United  States 


144  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

Minister  at  Stockholm,  Hon.  W.  W.  Thomas,  in 
July  addressed  to  the  Norwegian  Cabinet  Minister 
a  letter  enclosing  from  Dr.  Klopsch  a  second  check 
for  the  distressed  people  of  northern  Norway.  "  When 
we  reflect,"  wrote  the  American  Minister,  "that 
these  grand  benefactions  are  not  the  gifts  of  million- 
aires, but  the  contributions  of  people  of  small  means, 
that  these  sums  all  come  from  the  little  savings  of 
the  one  million  Americans  who  read  The  Christian 
Herald  of  New  York,  it  seems  to  me  that  these 
noble  gifts  constitute  an  act  of  Christian  benevo- 
lence which  both  in  kind  and  amount  are  perhaps 
without  a  parallel  in  history. 

"All  honor  to  Dr.  Klopsch,  the  little  man  with  a 
great  heart,  who  has  organized  and  carried  out  this 
good  and  great  work." 

The  Norwegian  Minister,  Sigurd  Ibsen,  replying  to 
the  American  Minister's  note  and  acknowledging  the 
receipt  of  the  second  contribution,  wrote  further: 

"I  do  not  need  to  emphasize  what  an  impression 
this  renewed  proof  of  grand  benevolence  will  leave 
in  this  country. 

"I  beg  you  in  the  name  of  my  colleagues  and  on 
my  own  behalf  to  present  to  Dr.  Klopsch  our  deep- 
felt  gratitude,  and  at  the  same  time  to  accept  for 
yourself  the  expression  of  our  recognition  of  the  part 
you  have  had  in  this  matter." 

In  January,  1904,  the  Finlanders  resident  in  the 
United  States  presented  a  special  address  to  Dr. 
Klopsch  in  appreciation  of  his  services.  Parts  of 
it  are  as  follows: 


FINLAND  AND  SWEDEN  145 

DR.  KLOPSCH. 

Dear  Friend :  Although  you  received  while  in  Finland  many 
tokens  of  gratitude  and  esteem  of  the  Finnish  people  in  return 
for  all  you  did  in  their  time  of  dire  distress,  and  while,  since 
your  return  to  America,  there  has  not  been  wanting  individual 
testimony  as  to  the  grateful  sentiments  of  the  thousands  of  Fin- 
landers  now  resident  in  the  United  States  for  the  aid  extended 
to  their  suffering  kinsfolk  at  home,  it  remains  true  that  up  to 
the  present  no  formal  recognition  of  your  energetic  generosity 
has  been  given  by  Finnish-Americans.  If  we  have  waited  some 
time  before  acting  on  our  inclinations,  it  has  only  been  in  con- 
sonance with  the  Finnish  temperament,  which  does  nothing 
in  haste,  but  prefers  to  weigh  its  actions  long  beforehand. 
This  has  the  effect,  in  the  present  instance,  as  we  intend,  of 
making  the  formal  rendering  of  our  thanks  doubly  significant, 
as  the  well-considered  act  of  men  who  do  not  allow  the  mem- 
ory of  a  good  deed  to  fade,  but  cherish  it  enduringly. 

So  it  comes  that  we,  natives  of  the  country  whose  sufferings 
you  did  so  much  to  alleviate,  and  residents  of  the  land  whose 
ready  and  unstinted  practical  sympathy  made  you  one  of  its 
foremost  agents,  have  come  together  in  our  quality  as  repre- 
sentatives of  the  300,000  Finlanders  now  on  American  soil,  for 
the  purpose  of  voicing  our  heart-felt  appreciation,  first:  of  the 
splendid  spontaneous  generosity  of  the  American  people,  from 
the  highest  to  the  humblest,  and  whom  we  now  address  through 
you;  and  secondly:  of  the  well-directed  enterprise  and  sustained 
enthusiasm  of  The  Christian  Herald  and  its  responsible  staff 
that  created  for  that  characteristic  generosity  so  prompt  and 
•efficacious  an  outlet.  In  the  name,  then,  of  our  thousands  of 
fellow-countrymen,  from  the  Pacific  sea-board  to  the  Atlantic, 
most  of  them  by  far  toilers  in  the  humbler  ranks  of  life,  but 
many  also  representative  of  the  professions,  the  press,  and 
mercantile  pursuits,  we  here  tender  you,  Dr.  Klopsch,  this 
formal  expression  of  our  gratitude,  our  affection,  and  our 
esteem. 

But  we  are  not  content  simply  to  do  this.  We  would  further 
place  on  record  our  glad  recognition  of  the  fact  that  such  acts 


146  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

of  practical  Christianity  do  more  than  aught  else,  not  only  to 
promote  a  helpful  fellow-feeling,  but  also,  and  what  is  of  more 
importance,  to  develop  mutual  understanding  between  nations, 
and  so  tend  to  weaken  those  manifestations  of  racial  prejudice 
which  form  the  most  formidable  barrier  to  the  progress  of 
civilization  in  the  highest  sense.  That  the  conception  of  the 
"Citizen  of  the  World"  is  so  much  more  general  and  its  value 
so  greatly  enhanced  since  the  days  of  Oliver  Goldsmith  is  due 
largely  to  just  such  beneficent  acts  as  your  exhausting  journey 
to  and  through  that  distant  land  and  your  active  prosecution 
of  a  great  mission  of  charity,  together  with  the  wide  dissemina- 
tion, through  your  valued  paper  and  other  organs  of  the  press, 
of  a  more  intimate  knowledge,  gained  through  personal  observa- 
tion, of  a  foreign  people,  studied,  in  their  hour  of  heaviest  trial, 
with  a  practical  eye  and  a  deeply  sympathetic  heart. 

We  here  in  America,  though  far  from  our  Finnish  birthplace, 
still  carry  deep  in  our  hearts  those  ideals  of  quiet,  orderly 
progress  and  of  high  citizenship  that  our  forefathers  cherished, 
and  we  rejoice  that  your  noble  work  of  brotherly  love  has  placed 
you  in  a  position,  not  only  to  gain  a  just  estimate  of  the  qualities 
and  aims  of  our  beloved  Finland,  but  also  to  help  make  these 
better  known  to  the  great  nation  among  which  we  have  found 
our  second  home,  and  with  whose  particular  virtues  you  have 
contributed  so  powerfully  to  render  us  gratefully  and  lastingly 
familiar. 

May  the  blessing  of  the  Supreme  Power,  under  whose  benefi- 
cent sway  it  has  been  granted  to  do  so  much  good  to  our  stricken 
people,  rest  upon  you  and  your  undertakings,  and  upon  the 
warm-hearted  American  people  who  have  stretched  out  the 
hand  of  brotherly  help  to  our  kin,  throughout  the  year  that  has 
just  dawned! 

New  York,  January  2,  1904. 

In  later  years  whenever  there  came  word  of  further 
distress  in  Finland,  he  was  again  ready  to  help. 
Thus  it  was  that  in  1907,  when  the  crops  were  not 


FINLAND  AND  SWEDEN  147 

up  to  the  usual,  there  was  some  distress  and  hunger. 
Dr.  Klopsch  immediately  offered  relief  should  it  be 
needed.  The  reply  came  back,  however,  that  the 
distress  was  only  local  and  temporary  and  that 
relief  from  abroad  would  not  be  necessary. 


CHAPTER   IX 

MODERN   MACEDONIA 

MIXED  RACES  UNDER  TURKISH  RULE  —  DESCRIPTION  OP  AN  INTERESTING  COUN- 
TRY AND  ITS  PEOPLE CAUSES  OF  BRIGANDAGE KIDNAPPING  OF  ELLEN 

M.  STONE,  THE  MISSIONARY DEMAND  FOR  RANSOM DR.  KLOPSCH  RAISES 

FUNDS  —  MISS  STONE'S  STORY  OF  THE  CAPTURE  AND  RELEASE  —  HOW  FREE- 
DOM WAS  OBTAINED THE  INSURRECTION  IN  1903 ATROCITIES  AND  BUF- 
FERINGS  APPEAL  BY  THE  "CHRISTIAN  HERALD" READY  RESPONSES 

DR.    KLOPSCH    COMMISSIONS  A    MACEDONIAN   PASTOR HIS    REPORTS  ON  THE 

RELIEF  WORK GRATITUDE  TO  AMERICA SATISFACTORY  RESULTS. 

MACEDONIA,  as  a  name,  has   no  modern 
territorial  significance.     It  is  merely  part 
of  European  Turkey  and  has  been  under 
Turkish    dominion    since    the    fifteenth    century. 
There  are  a  variety  of  races  and  nationalities,  but 
authentically  Macedonia  cannot  be  claimed  exclu- 
sively by  any  one  of  the  neighboring  countries.    The 
people  of  the  present  day,  who  are  Turkish  sub- 
jects, include  Bulgarians,  Greeks,  Servians,  Turks, 
and  other  nationalities. 

By  far  the  largest  part  of  the  population  is  Bul- 
garian, and  the  Macedonian  Bulgarians  are  by  blood 
and  by  religious  belief  the  same  with  the  Bulgarians 
of  Bulgaria.  The  difference  is  that  after  the  war 
between  Russia  and  Turkey,  and  the  peace  which 
was  established  by  the  Berlin  Conference  of  1878, 
Bulgaria  became  a  semi-independent  country,  and 
in  1909  was  able  to  secure  its  complete  political 
independence,  while  Macedonia  is  still  under  Turk- 

148 


MODERN  MACEDONIA  149 

ish  dominion.  Macedonia  in  fact  in  the  past  has 
been  the  vexing  question  in  what  is  known  in  Euro- 
pean politics  as  the  "Balkan  situation." 

"Macedonia,"  wrote  Henry  Mann  in  The  Christian 
Herald  some  years  ago,  "the  land  of  Philip  and  of 
Alexander,  the  cradle  of  an  empire  whose  victors 
sighed  for  more  worlds  to  conquer,  after  many  cen- 
turies of  comparative  obscurity  once  more  attracts 
the  anxious  gaze  of  mankind.  It  is  not  the  Mace- 
donia of  old,  or  even  its  shadow.  But  few  crum- 
bling remnants  alone  tell  us  of  cities  from  which 
went  forth  the  victors  of  Issus  and  Arbela.  Their 
very  race  is  extinct  and  its  place  has  long  been 
taken  by  descendants  of  those  whom  the  ancient 
Greeks  regarded  as  barbarians. 

"Modern  Macedonia  is  a  part  of  European  Turkey. 
It  is  not  the  name  of  any  political  division  of  the 
Ottoman  Empire,  but  is  applied  indefinitely  to  the 
region  included  in  the  three  provinces  of  Kos- 
sova,  Monastir  and  Salonica,  wedged  in  between 
Adrianople  on  the  east,  Albania  on  the  west,  the  free 
or  autonomous  Balkan  States  and  Bosnia  on  the 
north,  and  the  ^Egean  Sea  on  the  south.  These 
three  provinces  have  an  area  of  a  little  more  than 
thirty  thousand  square  miles  in  extent,  and  a  total 
population  of  about  two  and  three-quarter  millions, 
nearly  all  Christians  of  the  Bulgarian  or  Greek 
churches,  the  former  greatly  in  the  majority. 

"Macedonia  is  a  rugged  and  also  a  fertile  land, 
including  broad  masses  of  mountains  and  extensive 
sweeps  of  lowland,  with  a  hardy  peasantry  which 
has  learned  through  many  years  of  misrule  an  un- 


150  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

quenchable  hatred  of  the  Turk.  The  anarchy, 
insecurity  and  intolerance  of  all  creeds  calling  them- 
selves Christian,  which  prevail  everywhere  the  Turk 
has  full  sway,  sufficiently  account  for  conditions  in 
Macedonia.  There  is  no  foreign  influence  there  to 
restrain  Turkish  crime,  licentiousness  and  cruelty. 
The  Albanian  Moslems,  who  are  brigands  by  nature 
and  training,  prey  on  the  Christian  Macedonians 
from  the  western  boundary,  while  the  Turkish  levies 
from  Asia,  whose  idea  of  soldiering  is  comprised  in 
murder  and  plunder,  inflict  all  sorts  of  outrages  on 
the  wretched  inhabitants,  whom  they  are  supposed 
to  protect. 

"A  simple  and  honest  plain  people,  doing  their 
best  to  live  good  lives  so  far  as  they  are  permitted 
by  their  masters,  the  Turks,  the  Macedonians  well 
deserve  the  sympathy  of  nations  more  fortunately 
situated." 

The  same  writer,  telling  of  the  conditions  which 
produce  insurrection,  said  that  it  was  probable  that 
European  Turkey  and  the  mountainous  parts  of 
Greece  have  never  in  modern  times  been  free  from 
brigandage.  Many  instances  were  given  by  him  in 
which  captives  were  held  for  ransom.  A  case  which 
came  close  home  to  the  American  people  was  that 
of  Miss  Ellen  M.  Stone,  the  American  missionary, 
and  her  companion,  Mrs.  Tsilka,  the  wife  of  an 
Albanian  preacher.  Early  in  September  of  1901, 
Miss  Stone,  with  a  party  of  native  Christians  con- 
nected with  the  missions,  was  traveling  from  Bansko 
to  Djumas,  about  a  hundred  miles  east  of  Salonica, 
and  in  the  mountain  ranges  of  Macedonia  near  the 


MODERN  MACEDONIA  151 

Bulgarian  frontier,  through  a  part  of  the  country 
which  was  usually  considered  safe.  While  the  party 
were  passing  through  a  defile  in  the  mountains 
there  suddenly  appeared  two  groups  of  men,  one  in 
front,  the  other  behind  them,  dressed  as  Turkish 
soldiers.  All  the  party  were  made  prisoners,  and 
were  subjected  to  a  search  for  valuables.  After 
taking  their  money,  jewelry,  and  watches,  the  plun- 
derers, who  spoke  the  Bulgarian  language,  though 
dressed  as  Turks,  liberated  all  except  Miss  Stone 
and  Mrs.  Tsilka.  The  main  body  of  the  party  found 
their  way  to  a  place  of  safety,  some  of  them  carrying 
the  news  of  the  abduction  to  the  American  Board 
Mission  at  Samakov  in  European  Turkey. 

It  quickly  became  apparent  that  the  outlaws  had 
a  definite  purpose  in  the  capture  of  Miss  Stone,  for 
Mrs.  Tsilka  was  liberated  and  sent  to  Bansko,  to 
procure  money  for  the  prisoners'  present  needs. 
It  was  also  announced  that  the  bandits  demanded 
a  ransom  of  $110,000  for  Miss  Stone's  liberation. 
This  demand  was  made  known  in  a  letter  from  Miss 
Stone  to  Rev.  Dr.  Haskell,  American  Board  mission- 
ary at  Samakov,  and  a  place  was  named  where  the 
brigands  would  receive  the  money,  for  which  they 
pledged  their  word  the  prisoner  would  be  restored 
to  her  friends.  It  soon  became  apparent  that  the 
capture  of  Miss  Stone  was  not  an  act  of  mere  brig- 
andage, but  was  a  political  plot  deliberately  planned. 
It  was  the  belief,  which  was  subsequently  confirmed, 
that  the  kidnapping  was  known  to  the  leaders  in  the 
movement  against  Turkish  rule. 

The  officials  of  the  American  Board  of  Foreign 


152  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

Missions,  when  the  first  news  came,  believed  that 
the  brigands,  as  soon  as  they  realized  that  their 
threats  and  demands  were  unavailing,  and  that  no 
ransom  would  be  paid,  would  release  their  captive. 
A  different  view  of  the  case  was  taken  by  the  State 
Department  at  Washington.  It  was  thought  that 
Miss  Stone  was  in  imminent  peril,  and  that  the  cap- 
tors would  not  likely  be  influenced  by  sentimental 
motives  or  swayed  from  their  purposes  by  pleas  for 
mercy.  This  opinion  was  shared  by  many  people 
in  the  United  States,  and  it  was  decided  by  the 
relatives  of  Miss  Stone,  and  their  pastors,  to  appeal 
to  the  whole  nation  to  subscribe  the  ransom.  This 
appeal  was  issued  through  the  American  Board. 

At  the  last  hour  The  Christian  Herald  was  urgently 
requested  to  assist  in  the  movement  for  raising  the 
ransom.  It  did  so  gladly,  and  soon  the  telegraph 
wires  were  flashing  messages  to  liberal  hearts  in 
many  states,  while  the  telephone  was  used  for  reach- 
ing persons  in  New  York.  Within  five  or  six  hours 
subscriptions  amounting  to  $2,000  were  received. 
One  of  these  was  from  Wu  Ting  Fang,  the  Chinese 
Minister  to  the  United  States.  He  took  the  oppor- 
tunity of  showing  his  gratitude  for  the  generosity 
with  which  America  had  helped  China  in  the  then 
recent  famine. 

In  an  editorial,  Dr.  Klopsch  discussed  the  situa- 
tion. He  did  not  stop  to  consider  whether  the 
abduction  of  the  American  missionary  was  accom- 
plished solely  for  the  purpose  of  securing  a  ransom 
or  had  ulterior  political  motives. 

"The  American  Board,"  said  the  editorial,  "has 


MODERN  MACEDONIA  153 

declined  to  accede  to  the  demand  for  a  ransom  on 
the  ground  that  if  the  Board  yields  to  such  a  de- 
mand, it  would  be  placing  a  premium  on  brigandage, 
endangering  missionaries  everywhere,  causing  infinite 
pain  and  anxiety  to  friends  at  home,  seriously  em- 
barrassing the  missionary  work,  and  jeopardizing 
the  long  years  of  consecrated  toil.  To  pay  the  ran- 
som, therefore,  would  be  to  establish  a  dangerous 
precedent.  At  the  same  time  the  natural  solicitude 
of  relatives  and  the  sympathy  of  an  interested  pub- 
lic in  Miss  Stone's  case  have  been  so  pronounced 
that  the  Board  has  sent  out  an  appeal  in  her  behalf." 

Notwithstanding  the  well-founded  suspicion  that 
the  capture  of  Miss  Stone  had  been  instigated  by 
the  Macedonian  Revolutionary  Committee,  it  became 
apparent  that  the  Turkish  Government  was  unable 
to  secure  her  release,  and  that  those  who  believed 
in  raising  the  ransom  to  insure  her  safety  should 
proceed  with  their  efforts.  So  the  work  went  for- 
ward and  from  all  sources  $65,000  was  raised. 

President  Washburn,  of  Robert  College,  Constan- 
tinople, wrote  that  the  chief  difficulty  in  the  case  of 
Miss  Stone  was  not  to  find  money,  but  to  find  Miss 
Stone  and  the  brigands.  Ultimately  this  was  done. 
Rumors  came  of  release,  and  later  on  more  posi- 
tive news.  More  than  five  months  after  the  cap- 
ture, the  release  was  effected.  On  February  18th  a 
cable  from  Vienna  stated  that  Miss  Stone  had  been 
handed  over  to  Dragoman  Garguilo,  of  the  Ameri- 
can Legation.  It  appeared  that  the  accounts  were 
conflicting,  but  there  was  no  question  that  she  was 
free.  Then  came  news  that  she  was  on  her  way 


154  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

home.  When  she  reached  New  York,  on  the 
steamer  Deutschland  on  April  10,  1902,  Miss  Stone 
told  to  the  newspapers  the  story  of  her  life  among 
the  brigands. 

"When  they  captured  us,"  she  said,  "they  told  us, 
'  We  took  you  for  money.  We  will  release  you  when 
the  ransom  is  paid.'  We  would  have  been  treated 
badly  if  it  had  not  been  for  the  little  baby,  born  to 
Mrs.  Tsilka  during  our  captivity,  and  whose  pres- 
ence seemed  to  spread  a  veil  of  safety  over  us.  A 
few  days  before  we  were  ransomed,  the  leader  of  the 
brigands  said:  *  There's  a  bullet  for  you  and  one  for 
Mrs.  Tsilka  and  the  baby,  if  the  ransom  is  not  paid 
within  a  certain  date.'  But  God  delivered  us  out 
of  the  hands  of  the  enemy.  What  was  done  with 
the  ransom  money  I  don't  know.  Whether  it  was 
used  for  political  purposes  in  Macedonia,  I  can't 
state.  All  I  know  is  that  the  brigands  got  it. 

"Mrs.  Tsilka  and  I  often  wondered  if  the  outside 
world  knew  anything  about  us  and  what  was  being 
done  to  have  us  liberated.  The  brigands  occa- 
sionally hinted  of  the  rumors  about  us  being  dead, 
but  further  than  that  we  knew  nothing.  We  were 
kept  in  secret  places  and  always  traveled  by  night. 
When  I  wrote  my  letter  seeking  ransom,  I  wrote 
because  they  forced  me  to  do  so,  threatening  me 
with  a  loaded  rifle. 

"When  the  baby  was  born,  the  event  caused  a  sen- 
sation in  the  brigand  camp.  The  men  would  come 
and  look  at  the  baby.  They  would  pat  its  fingers. 
When  she  was  three  days  old,  I  carried  her  on  a 
board  over  the  mountains. 


MODERN  MACEDONIA  155 

"On  the  last  day  of  our  captivity  we  started,  as 
usual,  to  travel  at  night.  We  traveled  about  an 
hour,  when  there  was  commotion  in  the  band.  We 
stopped  in  the  dark  road,  but  in  a  few  minutes  we 
heard  the  command  to  proceed.  I  heard  the  order 
given  to  go  back  with  the  horses,  but  even  then  I 
did  not  realize  that  the  brigands  had  turned  us  loose, 
until  they  were  out  of  sight  and  beyond  hearing. 
We  looked  around  and  found  that  there  were  only 
two  men  left  with  us.  Then  they  led  us  to  a  little 
town,  and  we  were  told  that  our  ransom  had  been 
paid  and  we  were  free.  We  lifted  our  hearts  to  God 
in  faithful  prayer. 

"Some  of  the  brigands  wore  Turkish  costumes, 
some  spoke  Greek  and  others  Albanian.  Several  of 
them  dressed  like  Turks,  looked  like  Turks,  talked 
like  Turks,  and  I  have  no  doubt  they  were  Turks." 

Mr.  William  E.  Curtis,  the  well-known  newspaper 
correspondent,  dispelled  the  mystery  surrounding  the 
negotiations  with  the  bandits  in  a  letter  describing 
the  affair.  He  explained  that  Mr.  J.  G.  Leishman, 
the  United  States  Minister  at  Constantinople,  took 
charge  of  the  negotiations  after  Consul-General 
Dickinson,  who  had  been  entrusted  with  the  pre- 
liminaries, was  recalled  from  Bulgaria.  The  minister 
opened  communication  directly  with  the  brigands. 
He  chose  the  Rev.  W.  W.  Peet,  Treasurer  of  the 
American  Bible  Society  at  Constantinople,  the  Rev. 
John  H.  House  of  Ohio,  in  charge  of  the  American 
Missions  hi  Macedonia,  and  Chief  Dragoman  Gar- 
guilo,  interpreter  of  the  American  Legation  at  Con- 
stantinople as  a  committee,  and  dispatched  them  to 


156  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

the  scene  of  Miss  Stone's  capture.  Dr.  Peet  carried 
the  ransom  money,  $65,000,  and  the  brigands  knew 
it.  Dr.  House  was  soon  in  communication  with  Miss 
Stone,  who  was  then  at  a  village  called  Razlag. 
She  wrote  him  advising  him  to  pay  the  ransom. 
Her  captors,  she  said,  insisted  that  it  be  paid  before 
they  set  her  free.  Minister  Leishman  knew  from 
the  history  of  similar  cases  that  such  a  demand  was 
customary,  and  he  believed  firmly  that  the  brigands 
would  keep  their  pledged  word.  Dr.  House,  too, 
advised  compliance.  The  brigands  themselves  in- 
dicated how  and  where  the  money  should  be  de- 
livered, and  their  wishes  were  carried  out.  They 
released  the  captives  immediately. 

The  abduction  of  Miss  Stone  gave  an  insight  into 
the  political  conditions  in  Macedonia  and  on  the 
Bulgarian  border.  Later  it  was  shown  that  an  insur- 
rection against  Turkish  misrule  was  being  planned. 
This  movement  came  to  a  head  in  the  summer  of 
1903.  It  must  be  remembered  that  the  revolt  was 
against  the  Turk  Abdul  Hamid  and  his  provincial 
government,  and  that  the  Young  Turks,  who  have 
since  sought  to  make  the  Turkish  rule  acceptable  to 
all  nationalities  within  the  Turkish  dominions,  were 
themselves  at  the  time  engaged  in  their  plans  for 
overthrowing  Abdul  Hamid. 

At  the  beginning  of  September  the  insurrection- 
aries  had  20,000  well  armed  men  in  the  field,  chiefly 
Bulgarians,  who  were  fighting  the  Turks  by  guerrilla 
methods.  They  overran  a  large  part  of  Macedonia 
and  the  Bulgarian  frontier.  But  Turkey,  always 
prepared  for  insurrections  by  her  oppressed  subjects, 


MODERN  MACEDONIA  157 

was  ready  for  this  emergency  and  at  once  threw  a 
large  army  into  the  field.  Atrocities  were  committed 
on  both  sides,  but  the  disciplined  outrages  were  on 
the  part  of  the  Turkish  troops.  Macedonian  towns 
and  villages  were  laid  waste  and  swept  bare  of  their 
Christian  population.  In  some  districts  there  were 
general  slaughters  in  which  women  and  children 
were  massacred.  The  war,  if  war  it  could  be  called, 
was  soon  over,  but  the  suffering  grew.  It  became 
known  that  150,000  women  and  children  were  on 
the  verge  of  starvation,  and  that  Christian  inhabi- 
tants, terror-stricken,  were  fleeing  hourly,  fearing  a 
general  massacre  by  the  Mussulmans,  whose  fanati- 
cal hatred  had  been  stirred  to  the  highest  point. 
The  Christian  Herald,  in  an  editorial,  thus  described 
the  Macedonian  cry: 

"It  is  a  terrible  story  of  the  unspeakable  horrors 
of  war  that  comes  to  us  from  Macedonia.  From 
those  desolated  valleys,  with  their  homes  a  mass  of 
smoking  embers,  and  their  dead  lying  unburied;  from 
the  forests  in  which  the  poor,  miserable  fugitives  are 
hiding  from  the  fanatical  hordes  who  pursue  them; 
from  caves  and  holes  in  those  wild  and  rugged  moun- 
tains, there  comes  a  cry  to  Christendom  for  aid. 

"From  those  bleak  mountains  they  can  look  down 
upon  their  old  homes,  ruined  by  fire  and  pillage, 
their  little  gardens,  where  only  a  few  weeks  ago  all 
was  peace  and  happiness,  with  the  children  playing 
at  the  mother's  knee,  but  where  all  is  now  wasted 
and  blackened.  War  has  swept  over  all,  leaving  a 
track  of  blood  and  ashes,  and  a  sorrow  that  none 
save  God  can  heal. 

"Deaf  indeed  must  be  the  ears  that  do  not  hear 
the  call  of  Macedonia  for  succor  to-day;  blind  must 


158  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

be  the  eyes  that  cannot  see  the  vision  of  those  exiles, 
as  they  lift  up  their  voices  in  despairing  appeal.  Shall 
the  call  be  answered?  We  leave  the  decision  with 
the  readers  of  The  Christian  Herald." 

Its  readers  answered  the  call.  The  missionaries 
in  Macedonia  wrote  to  Dr.  Klopsch  giving  the  con- 
ditions which  demanded  relief,  and  indicating  the 
means  that  might  be  followed.  Miss  Ellen  M.  Stone 
herself  sent  forth  an  appeal.  Putting  aside  all  resent- 
ment and  without  even  referring  to  her  own  perilous 
experience  she  appealed  to  the  sympathy  of  the  Amer- 
ican people  in  behalf  of  the  Macedonians  in  a  letter 
which  gave  her  personal  knowledge  of  the  conditions. 

"The  snows  of  winter,"  she  wrote,  "already  cover 
those  lofty  mountain  peaks,  and  have  concealed  the 
berries  and  leaves  upon  which  the  starving  refugees 
were  striving  to  subsist.  Shelters  must  be  provided 
for  them  somehow,  and  they  be  gathered  where  at 
least  a  small  quantity  of  flour  may  be  doled  out  to 
them,  and  a  blanket  to  help  them  endure  these 
winter  nights,  if  their  lives  are  to  be  preserved.  No 
wonder  that  the  pitying  hearts  of  the  relief  dis- 
tributors long  for  the  great  stores  of  army  blankets, 
and  for  thousands  and  thousands  of  dollars  to 
purchase  supplies  of  food  and  clothing.  Let  us 
hasten  with  our  gifts  through  the  willing  channel 
of  The  Christian  Herald,  that  our  Christmas  song 
shall  be  made  even  more  full  of  rejoicing  than 
usual,  because  'the  blessing  of  Him  that  was  ready 
to  perish*  has  fallen  upon  us." 

This  was  written  at  the  Thanksgiving  season,  and 
later  came  stories  of  the  black  Christmas  in  store 


MODERN  MACEDONIA  159 

for  the  natives  of  Macedonia.  Members  of  a  com- 
mittee of  active  Macedonian  pastors  in  the  United 
States  also  appealed  to  the  American  people  through 
The  Christian  Herald.  Dr.  Klopsch  decided  that  in 
view  of  the  interest  aroused,  and  in  order  that  the 
readers  of  The  Christian  Herald  be  fully  informed 
of  the  actual  state  of  affairs  in  Macedonia  and  of 
the  use  made  of  their  gifts,  a  special  representa- 
tive should  be  sent.  For  this  purpose  the  Rev. 
Marco  N.  Popoff,  a  native  evangelical  pastor,  was 
commissioned.  He  was  thoroughly  familiar  with  the 
centers  of  suffering  and  was  personally  acquainted 
with  the  missionaries  and  native  Christian  pastors 
and  workers. 

After  a  remarkably  quick  journey,  Pastor  Popoff 
reached  Sofia,  Bulgaria,  on  January  20,  1904.  Five 
days  later  he  cabled  that  a  relief  committee  of 
twenty-three  members  had  been  organized,  with 
the  Rev.  Edward  B.  Haskell  as  Chairman.  At  the 
same  time  acknowledgment  was  received  from  the 
Rev.  W.  W.  Peet,  Treasurer  of  the  American  Mis- 
sions in  Turkey,  of  the  receipt  at  Constantinople  of 
$10,000  for  Macedonian  relief.  From  Salonica,  the 
Rev.  E.  B.  Haskell,  Chairman  of  The  Christian 
Herald  Relief  Committee,  wrote  giving  incidents  of 
the  distribution  of  the  supplies.  Many  of  them  were 
very  affecting.  The  funds  were  used  chiefly  in 
furnishing  flour  and  blankets  and  in  maintaining 
retreats  for  the  sick  and  wounded. 

Pastor  Popoff  wrote  from  Tarta  Pazardjik,  giving 
some  characteristic  incidents.  Among  other  things 
he  said: 


160  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

"In  a  deserted  coffee  shop,  I  found  forty  refugees 
—  men,  women,  children,  marriageable  girls  and 
young  men  —  all  crowded  together.  At  night  they 
spread  whatever  they  had  on  the  floor  and  rested 
there.  The  women  were  spinning  wool.  /I  asked 
them  who  gave  them  wool.  They  said:  'It  is  not 
ours;  we  get  it  from  the  city  women  to  spin  for 
them.  We  prefer  to  have  something  to  do  rather 
than  to  be  idle,  although  they  pay  us  but  very 
little.'  For  spinning  three  pounds  of  wool,  which 
keeps  a  woman  busy  nearly  a  week,  they  get 
twenty-four  cents." 

In  a  letter  dated  at  Lujene,  February  8th,  Pastor 
Popoff  gave  further  interesting  details  of  his  jour- 
ney among  the  fugitives  who  were  scattered  through 
the  mountain  villages  on  the  Bulgarian  border.  He 
wrote: 

"From  Ichtiman,  I  started  for  Lujene.  To  reach 
this  place  I  rode  only  one  hour  by  rail,  and  nine 
hours  by  carriage  over  mountain  roads.  Lujene  is 
the  principal  of  three  villages  in  the  Rodope  Moun- 
tains, about  four  hours'  journey  from  the  boundary 
line  between  Bulgaria  and  Macedonia.  The  three 
villages  are  nestled  in  a  beautiful  mountain  dale, 
the  three  together  having  a  population  of  5,000, 
which  derives  subsistence  from  the  forests  mostly, 
by  cutting  and  drawing  fire-wood  and  lumber. 

"Among  the  refugees  at  Lujene  are  about  forty 
Protestants  from  Razlag.  Rev.  Sedloeff,  their  pastor, 
is  himself  a  refugee.  He  is  The  Christian  Herald  rep- 
resentative there.  I  preached  to  them  Sunday  morn- 
ing from  the  text,  *  Though  I  walk  through  the 


THE  BULGARIAN  ARMY  GOING  INTO  WINTER  QUARTERS 


MACEDONIAN  PASTORS  AND  OTHERS  REPRESENTED  IN 
THE  RELIEF  WORK 


MODERN  MACEDONIA  161 

valley  of  the  shadow  of  death,  I  will  fear  no  evil; 
for  Thou  art  with  me.'  In  the  afternoon  about  one 
hundred  and  fifty  people  came  to  the  hotel  to  hear 
from  me  what  America  is  doing  for  them.  After 
my  talk,  an  old  man  said  to  me:  'We  are  very 
grateful  for  the  aid  given  us,  but  we  will  be  more 
grateful  if  something  will  be  done  that  will  enable 
us  to  go  to  our  own  places,  although  our  homes  are 
destroyed." 

The  semblance  of  peace  was  slowly  restored  by 
the  Turkish  Government,  the  danger  from  cold  and 
starvation  passed,  and  the  survivors  of  the  insur- 
rectionary movement  and  the  refugees  on  the  Bul- 
garian border  went  back  to  their  homes.  The  need 
of  relief  from  abroad  became  less  acute,  and  final 
remittance  of  $7,000  was  sent  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  Peet, 
of  the  American  Board  at  Constantinople,  and  no 
further  appeals  were  made  for  contributions. 

Summing  up  the  work,  The  Christian  Herald  said: 

"Benevolent  hearts  in  the  United  States,  Great 
Britain,  and  Bulgaria  have  acted  most  harmoniously 
and  efficiently  together  in  all  this  work  of  Mace- 
donian relief.  Catholic  missionaries  and  Sisters  of 
Mercy  worked  side  by  side  with  evangelical  mission- 
aries, colporteurs,  and  preachers,  and  all  received 
funds  through  the  hands  of  the  American  Mission- 
ary Committee  at  Monastir.  Tenderly  nurtured 
women  of  rank,  who  knew  the  country  and  its  vari- 
ous nationalities,  as  few  others  could  know  them, 
have  labored  most  self-denyingly,  and  with  self- 
abnegation,  for  the  mitigation  of  the  sufferings  and 
destitution  in  which  the  struggle  between  the  Mus- 
sulman rulers  and  Christian  subjects  had  left  the 
country  last  autumn. 


162  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

"Christian  Herald  readers  have  generously  re- 
sponded to  this  need.  The  winter  is  now  over  and 
gone,  and  the  spring  has  appeared  in  that  part  of 
the  world.  The  crocuses,  violets,  primroses,  and 
dandelions  have  been  found  in  sheltered  nooks  even 
on  mountain  sides,  while  on  the  hills  and  plains 
appear  the  almond  trees,  white  with  blossoms,  and 
the  fields  of  poppies  and  of  winter  wheat  in  their 
greenness.  The  latter  is  true  in  regions  where  the 
greatest  terrors  had  not  fallen,  where  there  were  still 
men  left  to  plow  and  sow  their  fields  last  autumn,  or 
women  who  might  still  brave  the  loneliness  of  their 
fields  in  sections  where  the  dreaded  Albanian  and 
Turkish  guards,  or  the  regular  troops  of  Abdul 
Hamid,  or  his  irregular  Bashi-Bazouks,  were  not  ter- 
rifying and  devastating  the  Christian  population." 


CHAPTER    X 

CHINA'S  SORROW 

MILLIONS  WHO  SUFFER  FROM  RIVER  FLOODS  —  DISTRESS  IN  1899  —  FRESH 
CALAMITY  IN  1901  —  MINISTER  WU's  STATEMENT  —  DR.  KLOP8CH  ON  THK 
AMERICAN  ATTITUDE  TOWARD  CHINA  —  LI  HUNG  CHANG'S  MESSAGE  — 
MINISTER  CONGER'S  CONTRIBUTION  —  DR.  KLOPBCH'S  RELIEF  ORGANIZATION 

PRESIDENT  MCKINLET  AND  SECRETARY  HAY  AID AMERICAN  MISSIONARY 

COMMITTEE  —  APPEAL  FROM  CHINESE  CHURCHES  —  SPECIAL  COMMISSIONER 
NICHOLS  DISPATCHED  —  GRAPHIC  DESCRIPTIONS  OF  THE  REMOTE  PROVINCES 
—  IN  THE  HEART  OF  SHAN8I  —  NATIVE  CUSTOMS  —  HOW  8HENSI  WAS  SUC- 
CORED—  WHAT  THE  "CHRISTIAN  HERALD"  ACCOMPLISHED. 

CHINA  came  within  the  sphere  of  Dr.  Klopsch's 
philanthropies.    The  ancient  empire  of  Con- 
fucius always  had  a  great  attraction  for  him 
though  he  never  was  able  to  visit  it.    The  four 
hundred  million  inhabitants  he  looked  on,  notwith- 
standing the  difference  in  standards  of  civilization, 
as    all    coming    within    the    common    fold.     When 
famine  spread  over  any  section  of  the  vast  country, 
Dr.  Klopsch  was  ready  to  put  forth  his  energies  for 
its  relief. 

China's  famines  often  have  resulted  from  floods, 
rather  than  from  droughts,  and  have  spread  disaster 
and  death  among  millions  of  peasants.  "China's 
Sorrow"  is  the  name  by  which  the  great  Hwang-Ho, 
or  Yellow  River,  is  known  throughout  the  Empire. 
That  the  name  is  not  misapplied  is  proved  by  the 
record  of  appalling  disaster  which  is  the  history  of 
the  river  for  generations.  In  1899  the  tale  of 

163 


164  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

destruction  and  suffering  was  repeated  with  tenfold 
intensity,  but  the  outside  world  was  slow  in  learning 
of  the  disaster  and  of  the  suffering  which  followed. 
The  first  news  came  by  way  of  San  Francisco, 
brought  by  steamers  from  Hong  Kong.  It  was  supple- 
mented by  letters  from  American  missionaries  in  the 
Shantung  province,  where  the  greatest  distress  existed. 

American  Consul  Fowler,  at  Chefoo,  sent  out  an 
appeal  in  behalf  of  the  inundated  population,  in 
which  he  said:  "Hundreds  of  villages  are  submerged, 
cities  surrounded  by  water,  homes,  furniture,  cloth- 
ing, —  in  fact  everything,  —  is  under  water  or  de- 
stroyed. The  natives  themselves  are  living  in  straw 
huts;  many  have  absolutely  no  shelter  from  the  win- 
ter's cold  and  snow,  subsisting  on  bark,  willow  twigs, 
roots  and  so  forth.  The  crops  have  been  a  failure, 
the  seed  for  the  next  sowing  is  gone,  and  there  is 
nothing  for  these  starving  millions  to  hope  for  in 
the  future."  The  State  Department  published  the 
substance  of  the  dispatches  from  the  consuls  and 
urged  that  aid  be  sent  from  this  country  to  the 
sufferers. 

Dr.  Klopsch  at  once  telegraphed  to  Washington 
desiring  to  know  the  fullest  details  concerning  the 
flood  and  famine,  and  offering  in  behalf  of  the  read- 
ers of  The  Christian  Herald  to  undertake  the  rais- 
ing of  a  cargo  of  corn  if  the  need  were  really  of  the 
exceedingly  urgent  character  represented.  He  would 
supply  the  cargo  if  the  Government  would  utilize  one 
of  the  United  States  transports  about  to  leave  for 
the  Philippines. 

Secretary  Hay  replied  that  although  the  Govern- 


CHINA'S  SORROW  165 

ment  had  on  several  occasions  aided  in  alleviating 
the  suffering  in  various  parts  of  the  world  by  trans- 
portation of  supplies  contributed  by  the  people  of 
the  United  States,  the  employment  of  United  States 
vessels  for  such  purpose  had  usually  been  done  under 
some  special  authority  of  law,  and  in  the  absence  of 
authorization  of  Congress  the  State  Department 
could  not  direct  the  employment  of  any  public  funds 
for  the  purpose  of  chartering  a  vessel  to  convey  the 
offered  relief  to  China.  Secretary  Hay,  however, 
referred  to  the  War  and  Navy  Departments  the 
suggestion  that  the  relief  supplies  be  transported 
in  a  United  States  vessel.  The  War  and  Navy 
Departments  took  the  subject  up,  but  as  the  trans- 
ports then  in  use  for  the  Philippines  were  required 
for  urgent  national  purposes  it  was  found  impossible 
to  do  anything.  Dr.  Klopsch  later  found  ways  for 
extending  aid,  but  this  famine  in  China  was  relieved 
earlier  than  had  been  anticipated,  and  the  demand 
for  help  from  the  rest  of  the  world  did  not  become  so 
pronounced. 

Within  two  years  China  was  in  the  grip  of  another 
famine,  which  continued  to  grow  and  spread  distress 
till  the  appeal  for  succor  became  too  urgent  to  be 
resisted. 

In  the  spring  of  1901  the  newspapers  began  to 
receive  intelligence  of  China's  new  calamity.  A 
dispatch  from  Shanghai,  under  date  of  April  20th, 
gave  the  following  succinct  yet  terrible  picture  of 
the  conditions:  "Shanghai,  April  20:  The  famine  in 
Shansi  province  is  dreadful.  Wheat  is  selling  for 
$10.00  gold  per  150  pounds." 


166  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

The  Rev.  T.  DeWitt  Talmage  called  on  Wu  Ting 
Fang  at  Washington  to  make  inquiries  on  behalf  of 
The  Christian  Herald.  "There  is  a  dreadful  famine," 
Minister  Wu  told  Dr.  Talmage,  "and  it  spreads  all 
over  a  great  area.  A  vast  multitude  are  suffering 
for  food,  so  many  thousands  that  we  cannot  number 
them.  The  population  is  very  dense."  "Are  imme- 
diate measures  of  relief  practicable?"  Dr.  Talmage 
asked.  "Yes,"  the  Minister  replied,  "there  is  much 
foodstuff  in  the  nearby  districts  which  could  be 
purchased  and  sent  to  the  famine  district  if  the 
means  were  available.  These  regions  are  accessible 
through  Shanghai  and  other  ports.  Rice  is  the 
principal  food  of  the  inhabitants,  and  probably  it 
could  be  secured  in  large  quantities  for  distribution. 
Flour  and  other  provisions  also  could  be  bought  and 
distributed." 

The  dispatches  continued  to  give  the  world  a 
glimpse  of  the  new  horror  that  had  fallen  on  prostrate 
China.  The  provinces  of  Shansi  and  Shensi,  with 
a  population  of  24  millions,  were  the  centers  of 
suffering,  but  the  distress  had  spread  to  adjoining 
provinces. 

Dr.  Klopsch's  view  of  China's  need  was  a  broad  one. 
The  memory  of  the  Boxer  outbreaks  and  of  the  anti- 
foreign  movement  was  still  fresh  in  the  minds  of 
people.  In  an  editorial  in  The  Christian  Herald  he 
took  his  position  as  follows: 

"During  all  of  the  recent  troubles  in  China  our 
own  nation  has  occupied  a  peculiar  attitude  toward 
that  unhappy  people.  We  alone  have  stood  squarely 
upon  the  principle  of  international  helpfulness,  insist- 


CHINA'S  SORROW  167 

ing  that  China  should  be  succored  and  not  despoiled. 
We  wanted  no  territory.  And  we  entered  upon  no 
campaign  of  conquest.  We  believed  that  the  true 
way  to  impress  upon  China  the  advantages  of  a 
new  and  enlightened  civilization  was  to  heal  her 
wounds,  restore  her  self-respect,  and  set  her  securely 
in  her  own  seat  of  judgment  from  which  she  could 
administer  her  own  affairs.  No  nation  save  ours 
credited  China's  professions  of  a  sincere  purpose  to 
put  down  the  rebellion  and  to  punish  the  offenders. 
The  result  has  shown  her  absolute  sincerity.  China 
trusts  the  United  States  because  we  first  trusted 
China.  She  regards  us  as  her  truest,  if  not  her  only, 
friend  among  the  nations.  It  is  not  surprising,  then, 
that  in  the  presence  of  the  awful  visitation  of  famine 
China  should  turn  to  America  for  aid.  Our  benevo- 
lence in  India  and  elsewhere  has  been  an  object 
lesson  to  the  Asiatic  races. 

"There  is  another  reason  why  China's  appeal 
should  not  be  allowed  to  pass  unheeded,  should 
further  investigation  show  that  she  needs  our  help. 
At  this  time  when  our  devoted  missionaries  are 
being  so  unjustly  maligned  and  misrepresented  it  is 
well  for  Christian  people  to  stand  by  them  and  give 
them  the  most  cordial  support  and  encouragement 
in  their  self-sacrificing  labors.  Deeds,  not  words, 
are  the  best  answers  to  the  maligners.  Our  mission- 
aries in  India,  as  every  one  knows,  rendered  in  the 
late  famine  noble,  humanitarian  service  which  won 
them  the  applause  of  the  whole  world.  Our  mis- 
sionaries in  China,  should  the  situation  call  for  sim- 
ilar action,  would  doubtless  demonstrate  equally  to 


168  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

friends  and  foes  alike  that  they  are  true,  self-denying 
followers  of  Him  who  went  about  doing  good. 

"China  needs  our  prayers,  if  she  should  need  our 
help  also,  she  should  have  it  —  and  quickly." 

It  was  very  soon  evident  that  China  did  need  our 
help,  and  needed  it  quickly.  Li  Hung  Chang,  the 
foremost  official  in  China  and  the  real  head  of  affairs, 
who  was  known  to  people  as  one  of  the  world's 
greatest  statesmen,  cabled  through  The  Christian 
Herald  a  message  to  the  American  people.  It  was 
as  follows: 

GOVERNMENT,  PEKING, 

April  25,  1901. 
EDITOR  Christian  Herald,  NEW  YORK. 

Very  serious  famine  spreads  over  whole  province  Shansi. 
Over  eleven  million  population  affected.  Urgent  relief  neces- 
sary. Conditions  warrant  immediate  appeal. 

(Signed)    Li  HUNG  CHANG. 
(Seal.) 

A  touching  appeal  was  circulated  in  China  by  the 
Shansi  officials.  Among  other  things,  it  said:  "All 
our  brothers  in  the  world  should  be  very  sorry  for  us 
and  should  know  how  unfortunate  we  are.  We  wish 
our  people  to  share  some  of  your  money,  which  you 
spend  amusing  yourselves  and  for  traveling  and  for 
dressing  and  for  all  kinds  of  comforts,  to  rescue  these 
poor  people.  It  is  much  better  to  save  the  starving 
and  dying  men,  women  and  children  here  than  to 
build  a  pagoda  or  temple  or  even  a  church,  because 
from  ten  to  twelve  million  people  are  suffering  to 
death." 

Mr.  E.  H.  Conger,  the  American  Minister  to  China, 


CHINA'S  SORROW  169 

was  at  this  time  in  the  United  States.  He  tele- 
graphed a  statement  to  The  Christian  Herald  from 
Des  Moines,  Iowa.  He  said:  "Li  Hung  Chang  and 
Prince  Ching  both  told  me  two  or  three  days  before 
I  left  Peking  that  people  were  literally  eating  each 
other.  The  Chinese  people  are  able  to  live  on  almost 
nothing  for  a  long  time.  Li  Hung  Chang  told  me 
that  the  Shansi  people  were  eating  the  grass  off  the 
ground  and  the  leaves  off  the  trees  and  even  the 
bark.  They  have  eaten  all  there  was  to  be  had, 
and  are  practically  without  anything  to  help  now. 
Probably  ten  million  people  are  affected  by  the  fam- 
ine. Their  condition  is  beyond  description.  They 
have  had  no  rain  for  two  years."  Minister  Conger 
accompanied  his  statement  by  a  liberal  contribution 
to  TJie  Christian  Herald  fund. 

Letters  and  telegrams  came  from  American  mission- 
aries in  China,  and  from,  some  who  were  home  tem- 
porarily, telling  the  same  stoiy,  and  pointing  out  the 
necessity  of  immediate  relief.  They  also  explained 
that  the  Shansi  people  always  had  been  friendly  to 
the  missionaries,  and  that  Shansi  was  not  a  Boxer 
province. 

Dr.  Klopsch  within  a  short  time  had  the  complete 
organization  of  relief  in  operation.  He  communi- 
cated with  the  State  Department  in  Washington  and 
with  Acting  Minister  Rockhill  in  Peking.  His  plan 
was  to  purchase  supplies  and  send  them  from  Shang- 
hai up  the  Yangtse  to  Wuhu,  thence  to  Hankow, 
and  up  the  Han  River  to  the  head  of  navigation 
in  Shansi  province.  Mr.  Rockhill  replied  by  cable 
that  he  would  see  to  the  purchase  and  distribution 


170  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

of  aid  and  that  Li  Hung  Chang  requested  him  to 
express  to  the  organizer  of  the  relief  his  sincere  thanks 
and  also  the  thanks  of  the  Shansi  famine-stricken 
for  American  benevolent  action. 

President  McKinley  was  just  starting  on  a  long 
journey  through  the  South  and  West.  He  was 
among  the  first  to  aid,  not  only  by  endorsing  the 
relief  movement  of  The  Christian  Herald,  but  by 
personal  contribution.  The  following  telegram  was 
received: 

President's  Train,  En  Route,  VIRGINIA. 

April  29,  1901. 
Dr.  Louis  KLOPSCH, 

The  Christian  Herald,  New  York. 

The  President  is  glad  to  hear  you  are  endeavoring  to  raise  a 
fund  for  the  benefit  of  the  sufferers  in  China.  He  hopes  you 
may  meet  with  the  same  success  which  you  attained  in  similar 
good  work  for  Cuba  and  India.  He  subscribed  $100  for  the 
fund.  Please  allow  me  to  subscribe  the  same  amount. 

(Signed)     JOHN  HAY. 

Dr.  Klopsch  cabled  a  request  to  Acting  Minister 
Rockhill  that  he  form  an  emergency  relief  committee 
in  which  American  missionaries  should  predominate, 
and  of  which  he  should  be  chairman.  This  was  done, 
and  the  committee  was  composed  as  follows:  Rev. 
Arthur  H.  Smith,  of  the  American  Board,  Tientsin, 
Chairman;  Rev.  Irenas  J.  Atwood,  American  Board; 
Rev.  E.  H.  Edwards,  China  Inland  Mission;  Rev. 
H.  H.  Lowrie,  Methodist,  Peking;  Rev.  M.  B. 
Duncan,  English  Baptist  Mission.  The  first  remit- 
tance of  $20,000  was  cabled  to  this  committee,  and 
several  of  the  members  started  at  once  for  Shansi. 


CHINA'S  SORROW  171 

The  governor  of  Shansi  sent  an  official  escort  to 
meet  them.  Word  came  that  the  news  of  The 
Christian  Herald  relief  work  had  spread  far  and  wide 
in  the  famine  districts,  and  the  expectation  of  the 
starving  multitudes  had  been  raised  to  the  highest 
point.  Li  Hung  Chang  cabled  from  Peking  to  the 
Chinese  Minister  in  Washington,  expressing  his 
gratitude  to  the  benevolent  people  of  America  who 
through  The  Christian  Herald  were  raising  the  relief 
fund. 

From  the  native  elders  and  deacons  of  the  China 
Christian  churches  in  Shanghai  came  a  remarkable 
appeal.  It  was  written  in  Chinese  characters,  and 
was  translated  by  the  Rev.  F.  C.  H.  Dryer,  formerly 
missionary  in  that  province.  It  was  as  follows: 

The  calamities  that  have  befallen  the  Chinese  Christians 
have  been  very  great.  Their  steadfastness  has  been  severely 
tested.  Many  of  the  brethren,  however,  through  God's  mighty 
preserving  power,  are  much  more  zealous  than  they  were  before. 
From  this  it  is  manifest  that  nothing  man  can  do  can  separate 
the  love  of  God. 

The  suffering  among  all  the  Christians  has  been  too  great, 
for  although  they  have  escaped  from  within  a  step  of  death  by 
the  sword  it  has  only  been  to  meet  with  hunger  and  starvation. 
Not  only  are  many  in  great  want,  but  some  have  nothing  to 
sustain  life  from  day  to  day.  Happily  our  Heavenly  Father 
has  bestowed  mercy  on  us,  for  we  have  received  letters  from 
Shanghai  and  Peking  informing  us  that  an  effort  is  being  made 
to  relieve  our  distress. 

Alas  for  our  Shansi  Christians,  who  are  left  as  a  flock  of  sheep 
without  a  shepherd.  We  do  not  for  the  moment  speak  of  their 
souls,  even  their  bodies  we  do  not  know  how  to  save.  We 
have  now  appointed  eight  brethren  to  help  in  the  important 
matter  of  the  distribution  of  relief. 


172  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

Please  send  quickly,  that  we  may  speedily  deliver  our  breth- 
ren from  their  great  and  urgent  distress.  We  hope  that  peace 
will  soon  be  established  and  that  the  pastors  will  then  be  able 
to  quickly  return  and  organize  the  affairs  of  the  church.  We 
respectfully  send  our  greetings  of  peace  to  all  the  missionaries. 

From  brethren  of  whom  you  have  entertained  anxious 
thought. 

Written  by  lamplight,  on  the  15th  of  the  llth  Chinese  Moon. 

Among  other  measures  Dr.  Klopsch  decided  to 
send  a  special  commissioner  on  behalf  of  The  Chris- 
tian Herald  contributors  to  China.  He  chose  for  this 
purpose  Mr.  Francis  H.  Nichols,  a  brilliant  young 
American  journalist  who  had  been  a  newspaper  cor- 
respondent in  Cuba  during  the  war  with  Spain.  Mr. 
Nichols  was  courageous  and  adventurous.  He  pro- 
ceeded at  once  to  the  scene  of  the  famine  and  soon 
his  vivid  stories  of  the  conditions  there  were  received. 

Before  leaving  Peking  Commissioner  Nichols  had 
an  interview  with  Prince  Ching,  the  military  gover- 
nor, who,  Li  Hung  Chang  having  in  the  meantime 
died,  had  become  the  leading  factor  in  Chinese  affairs. 

Mr.  E.  T.  Williams,  of  the  American  Legation, 
was  present  and  acted  as  interpreter.  Among  other 
incidents  of  the  interview,  Mr.  Nichols  gave  this 
account: 

"Prince  Ching  motioned  us  to  chairs  at  the  white 
tablecloth,  while  a  servant  brought  in  little  silver 
cups  full  of  tea  and  a  plate  of  cakes.  With  a  manner 
which  had  not  in  it  a  trace  of  stiffness  or  formality 
he  began  asking  questions  about  the  famine  relief 
fund.  'Is  this  money  that  the  American  people 
have  raised,'  he  asked,  'the  gift  of  a  few  men,  or  has 
it  come  from  many  sources?'  I  explained  as  best  I 


CHINA'S  SORROW  173 

could  that  the  $60,000  forwarded  to  China's  starving 
ones  represented  the  Christian  generosity  and  kind- 
liness of  thousands  of  Americans.  I  told  him  that 
the  homes  of  the  givers  covered  a  territory  as  vast 
as  the  Chinese  Empire.  'And  all  of  these  have 
remembered  China,'  he  said  meditatively.  *It  is  a 
splendid,  generous  act.  On  behalf  of  our  people 
please  convey  to  The  Christian  Herald  my  thanks. 
Words  (and  he  pointed  to  his  lips)  can  hardly  express 
the  gratitude  I  feel.  This  relief  for  the  starving  in 
China  will  go  a  long  way  toward  binding  us  closer  to 
the  people  of  the  United  States.  It  is  a  friendship 
of  many  years/  he  went  on,  'between  your  country 
and  mine.  I  really  doubt  if  any  other  nation  would 
have  remembered  us  in  our  hour  of  need  as  the 
Americans  have  done." 

Commissioner  Nichols  forwarded  graphic  descrip- 
tions of  his  journey  to  the  provinces  of  Shansi  and 
Shensi.  At  that  period  the  famine  was  more  se- 
vere in  the  latter  province.  He  wrote:  "The  first 
hundred  of  the  six  hundred  miles  that  lie  between 
Peking  and  Singan  are  accomplished  by  rail  to 
Pao-ting  Fu.  To  American  eyes  railroads  in  China 
are  strangely  and  wonderfully  made.  Tickets  are 
sold  in  the  European  method  as  first,  second,  and 
third  class.  The  latter  comprises  the  major  part 
of  the  train,  and  consists  of  ordinary  open  flat-cars 
which  do  not  differ  in  the  least  from  those  used  for 
freight.  There  is  scarcely  any  system  of  way-bills 
or  shipment.  The  company  assumes  little  risk  on 
anything  or  anybody  that  passes  over  its  lines. 

"After  six  hours  jolting  and  bumping  and  the 
shouting  of  orders  in  Chinese,  the  train  halted  in 
front  of  a  gray  brick  station.  By  means  of  three 


174  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

carts  and  numerous  questions  of  the  interpreter  I 
finally  succeeded  in  finding  the  residence  of  Rev. 
J.  Walter  Low,  of  the  Presbyterian  Board  of  Missions, 
to  whom  I  had  a  letter  of  introduction  from  Dr. 
Arthur  Smith,  head  of  the  famine  relief  work.  In 
a  little  compound  I  found  him;  a  superb  illustration 
of  the  sort  of  thing  which  a  true  missionary  of  the 
Cross  sometimes  encounters  in  a  heathen  land.  In 
a  town  of  35,000  Mr.  Low  is  at  present  the  only 
English-speaking  person.  A  Princeton  graduate  and 
an  extremely  cultivated  and  charming  man,  Mr.  Low 
is  leading  a  life  of  lonely  self-sacrifice  amid  the 
scenes  where  former  friends  and  co-laborers  died 
for  the  faith." 

After  describing  his  hospitable  entertainment  by 
Mr.  Low,  Commissioner  Nichols  continued  the  ac- 
count of  his  journey.  A  system  of  relay  patrols 
of  Chinese  soldiers  had  been  established  by  agree- 
ment with  the  foreign  governments  in  Peking  for 
the  sole  purpose  of  escorting  and  protecting  foreign 
travelers.  He  resumed  his  story  of  the  journey: 

"Our  patrol  started  from  the  door  of  the  Tingchu 
Yamen,  and  rode  slightly  in  advance  through  the 
gates  in  the  city  wall  on  the  road  towards  the  south- 
west. Each  man  carried  a  Mannlicher  rifle,  and  wore 
the  red  blouse  of  the  Chinese  Army.  Big,  strapping 
fellows  they  were,  on  stocky,  rugged  ponies.  Their 
pigtails  were  curled  up  under  black  silk  turbans, 
and  their  faces  were  bronzed  and  reddened  by  the 
sun,  so  that  they  looked  far  more  like  North  Ameri- 
can Indians  than  like  Mongolians.  Their  manner, 
too,  was  like  tha1^  of  Indians.  They  sat  very  erect 


CHINA'S  SORROW  175 

in  the  saddle  and  maintained  a  taciturn  silence, 
except  when  the  leader  would  occasionally  smile 
and  ask  if  the  foreigners  were  comfortable.  The 
reply  he  received  was  always  affirmative,  although 
compared  with  a  Pullman  sleeping  car,  traveling  in 
China  is  not  of  the  happiest. 

"In  a  literal  sense  all  north  China  is  covered  with 
the  dust  of  ages.  It  gets  in  your  eyes  and  ears  and 
nose  and  forms  a  thick  coating  on  your  hair  and 
clothes.  A  Chinese  road  is  only  the  space  between 
the  fields  which  is  not  under  cultivation.  The  fields 
are  cared  for  and  are  reasonably  smooth,  but  the 
road  is  neither.  Just  before  dark  we  came  to 
a  massive  brick  archway  that  spanned  the  road. 
Under  it  stood  a  bare-headed  man  in  a  black  gown, 
who  violently  gesticulated  to  the  chief  of  our  patrol. 
The  substance  of  what  he  had  to  say  was  that  we  had 
reached  Sinlo,  and  that  quarters  had  been  assigned 
to  us  in  the  village  inn,  to  which  we  were  escorted 
by  a  motley,  chattering  crowd. 

"The  inn  is  a  one-story  mud  building.  The  floors 
are  of  clay  and  the  chairs  are  kept  from  falling 
to  pieces  by  bits  of  twine.  The  mandarin  of  Sinlo 
called  a  few  minutes  after  we  had  settled  down  to 
the  polyglot  dinner,  that  included  sharks'  fins,  lotus 
seeds,  and  American  canned  sausages.  The  man- 
darin came  in  a  sedan  chair,  and  was  preceded 
by  a  score  of  servants  carrying  paper  lanterns.  He 
was  a  stout,  good-natured,  rural  Chinaman,  who 
asked  all  sorts  of  questions  about  the  United  States 
as  we  sipped  our  tea  together." 

From  Tai  Yuen,  the  capital  of  the  province  of 


176  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

Shansi,  Commissioner  Nichols  wrote  giving  an  accu- 
rate presentation  of  the  conditions  of  a  part  of 
China  rarely  reached  by  white  travelers,  and  told 
of  the  splendid  results  accomplished  by  the  famine 
fund.  He  reached  there  late  in  October  1901.  Part 
of  his  letter  to  The  Christian  Herald  is  as  follows: 

"Across  the  sun-baked  plains  of  Chili,  past  ter- 
races of  budding  millet  and  corn,  past  crumbling 
temples,  across  rivers  and  through  mountain  passes, 
we  have  traveled  for  the  last  ten  days  to  this  ancient 
capital  of  remote  Shansi.  Everywhere,  as  the  rep- 
resentative of  The  Christian  Herald  famine  fund,  I 
have  been  received  with  the  utmost  courtesy  and 
outspoken  expressions  of  gratitude  from  the  Chinese 
officials,  and  at  times  my  progress  has  taken  on 
almost  the  form  of  an  ovation. 

"Nothing  could  be  more  polite  than  the  treat- 
ment accorded  me  by  the  mandarins.  If  I  wanted  an 
extra  pony  for  the  day's  stage  I  always  received  it. 
If  donkies  had  to  be  substituted  for  the  heavy, 
lumbering  cart  over  the  mountain  roads  all  I  had 
to  do  was  to  ask  for  them  and  I  found  them  waiting 
in  the  courtyard  at  daybreak  next  morning.  The 
traveler  across  north  China  must  inevitably  become 
an  adept  at  mandarin  'good  form/  It  is  a  com- 
plicated system  of  conduct,  so  absolutely  the  reverse 
of  Occidental  customs  that  one  has  to  guard  himself 
carefully  in  order  not  to  make  embarrassing  mistakes. 
When  the  traveler  calls  on  the  mandarin  he  must 
send  his  servant  ahead  with  his  card,  and  then  wait 
at  the  gates  of  the  official  residence  until  they  are 
opened  with  slamming  and  shouting.  The  mandarin 


MOBBING  A  FOOD  DISTRIBUTOR  IN  CHINA 


A  TYPICAL  FAMINE-STRICKEN  FAMILY  AT  SUCHIEN,  CHINA 


CHINA'S  SORROW  177 

stands  at  his  doorway  waiting  to  receive  his  guest, 
and  escorts  him  to  a  chair  at  the  left  of  a  table. 
Two  cups  of  tea  are  filled,  being  a  little  feast  which 
must  be  eaten  before  the  object  of  the  visit  can  be 
discussed.  When  the  call  is  returned  the  process 
is  reversed.  The  stranger  in  the  village  goes  no 
further  than  the  doorway  to  meet  the  mandarin, 
but  sends  his  servants  to  help  him  alight  from  his 
sedan  chair.  Once  seated  on  opposite  sides  of  the 
little  table  it  is  the  height  of  rudeness  for  the  foreign 
host  to  stand  up  or  change  his  position  for  one 
moment  until  the  mandarin  rises  to  leave. 

"There  is  a  remarkable  uniformity  in  Chili  villages. 
At  the  entrance  of  almost  every  one  is  a  corn  mill. 
A  flat  stone,  two  or  three  feet  in  diameter,  is  sup- 
ported on  three  posts.  Through  the  center  is  an 
upright  wooden  spindle  around  which  revolves  the 
heavy  stone  roller.  The  mill  is  usually  operated  by  a 
woman,  who  spreads  the  corn  on  the  flat  stone  and 
then  walks  around  it  pushing  the  roller  as  she  goes. 
Her  cramped  feet  make  her  hobble  painfully  as  she 
walks,  and  must  add  greatly  to  the  difficulty  of  her 
task,  but  she  looks  perfectly  contented  and  smiles 
at  the  passer-by. 

"At  the  town  of  Shau-Yang  The  Christian  Herald 
Commissioner  was  met  by  an  old  official  and  fifteen 
Chinese  soldiers,  each  carrying  the  colors  of  the  dif- 
ferent regiments  stationed  in  that  prefecture.  The 
procession  was  preceded  by  two  heralds  making  an 
election  night  noise  on  two  brass  horns.  They  kept 
up  a  persistent  tooting  all  the  time  I  was  eating  my 
canned  soup  and  ham  at  the  inn,  and  then  escorted 


178  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

me  on  my  way  as  far  as  the  city  gate,  when  the 
official  made  a  graceful  little  speech  in  which  he 
thanked  the  American  people  for  not  having  hatred 
towards  China. 

"The  last  fifty  miles  is  over  a  sandy  plateau  dotted 
with  mud-walled  towns  and  villages;  then  through 
a  gate  in  a  massive  wall  and  the  traveler  is  in  the 
capital  of  Shansi.  Tai  Yuen  was  founded  about 
500  B.C.  Its  population  is  estimated  at  40,000.  Its 
walls  and  gates  are  great  wooden  structures.  They 
are  similar  to  those  in  Peking.  As  in  all  China's 
cities,  the  streets  are  small,  dusty  lanes  between 
rows  of  one-story  houses.  Tai  Yuen  is  one  of  the 
most  important  places  in  north  China.  The  roads 
to  Mongolia  on  the  north  and  Kanshu  on  the  west 
radiate  from  it.  It  is  the  headquarters  of  the  intri- 
cate Chinese  banking  system  of  Shansi,  and  is  the 
market  for  all  the  products  of  the  province.  On 
many  of  the  walls  one  sees  today  a  proclamation 
from  the  governor.  It  is  a  eulogy  of  the  paper  called 
The  Christian  Herald  and  the  generosity  of  Ameri- 
cans in  sending  money  into  starving  north  China." 

In  other  letters  Mr.  Nichols  gave  further  informa- 
tion about  the  people  of  remote  Shansi  and  the  vast 
benefit  that  The  Christian  Herald  relief  had  been  to 
the  starving  population  when  the  famine  was  at 
its  height. 

He  also  visited  the  province  of  Shensi.  An  ad- 
vance relief  expedition  had  gone  to  Shensi  under 
the  personal  charge  of  Dr.  Moyer  Duncan,  who  was 
appointed  by  the  Missionary  Relief  Committee  in 
Tientsin;  and  Dr.  Duncan  wrote  from  Hsi-An-Fu 


CHINA'S  SORROW  179 

in  November,  1901,  an  account  of  his  experiences. 
A  part  of  his  letter  is  as  follows : 

Early  in  June  it  was  doubtful  whether  it  would  be  possible 
to  distribute  any  relief  in  this  province,  which  suffered  most 
from  the  famine  that  swept  the  northwest  provinces.  The 
committee  that  was  formed  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Arthur  Smith 
allotted  a  portion  of  The  Christian  Herald  fund  to  Shensi  on 
the  understanding  that  its  administration  must  be  undertaken 
only  by  foreigners.  The  ambassadors  gave  permission  to 
go  into  the  interior  if  the  Chinese  were  friendly  and  the  way 
opened  out. 

On  the  26th  of  August  Major  Pereire,  Dr.  Jacob  Smith  and 
myself  reached  the  western  capital.  We  were  well  received, 
as  we  had  been  protected  and  cared  for  all  along  the  route. 
An  imperial  edict  had  been  issued  that  we  were  going  to  dis- 
tribute relief,  and  commanding  all  officials  to  treat  us  with 
respect.  Some  twenty-six  officials  in  all  actively  assisted  us. 
There  were  seventeen  Christian  leaders  and  teachers,  and  four 
foreigners:  Dr.  J.  A.  C.  Smith  of  the  Baptist  Missionary 
Society;  Mr.  A.  Trudinger  of  the  China  Inland  Mission; 
Mr.  Tjader  of  the  Swedish  Mission  to  China;  and  myself. 
The  distributors  were  international  and  interdenominational, 
and  the  Chinese  recipients  were  Confucians,  Buddhists,  Taoists, 
Mohammedans  and  Christians.  It  is  satisfactory  to  know  that 
at  least  90  to  95%  of  those  assisted  were  the  poorest  and  most 
destitute.  The  relief  was  distributed  personally  by  the  for- 
eigners to  the  parties  relieved. 

Mr.  Nichols,  writing  from  Sian,  gave  a  very  vivid 
account  of  the  way  Shensi  was  succored.  He  wrote : 
"  Shensi  is  desolate.  More  than  two  and  a  half 
millions  of  men,  women  and  children,  30  per  cent 
of  the  entire  population,  have  died  of  hunger  or  the 
diseases  which  followed  it.  In  the  centers  of  distress 
the  survivors  have  sold  everything  from  the  roofs  of 


180  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

their  houses  to  their  children  in  order  to  buy  food. 
Shensi  is  the  oldest  province  in  China.  Ask  any 
Chinaman  when  the  history  of  Shensi  began  and  he 
will  reply,  'Soon  after  the  world  was  made.' 

"The  province  of  Shensi  is  isolated.  It  has  to 
depend  for  what  it  eats  entirely  upon  its  own  fields. 
It  is  impossible  to  bring  enough  food  from  without 
to  the  people  of  the  province  to  feed  them.  But 
Shensi  is  as  a  rule  a  productive  province,  and  in 
ordinarily  good  seasons  there  is  enough  and  to  spare 
for  every  one.  On  the  sides  of  the  Shensi  mountains 
it  is  hard  to  find  a  square  foot  from  base  to  summit 
which  is  not  covered  with  terraces  under  cultivation. 
The  chief  article  of  food  is  wheat,  and  by  a  system 
of  fertilizing,  the  land  is  made  to  yield  three  crops  of 
it  a  year.  Millet  and  buckwheat  are  also  products 
of  the  terraces,  and  in  the  bottom  lands  of  the  rivers 
some  rice  is  raised. 

"Soon  after  the  hunger  cloud  had  settled  down  over 
Shensi  the  Chinese  officials  organized  measures  for 
relief.  Appeals  for  money  were  sent  to  all  parts  of 
the  empire.  In  the  middle  of  May  came  the  longed- 
for  rain.  It  was  sufficient  to  insure  an  autumn 
harvest,  but  that  was  still  five  months  away.  The 
end  of  the  famine  was  in  sight,  but  horrors  were  not 
yet  abated.  By  this  time  the  enormous  Chinese 
relief  funds  were  exhausted.  This  was  the  state  of 
affairs  when  Moyer  B.  Duncan,  of  The  Christian 
Herald  foreign  relief  committee,  arrived  in  Sian. 

"The  last  distribution  of  The  Christian  Herald 
relief  fund  to  the  destitute  of  Sian  took  place  during 
my  stay  there.  As  one  of  the  mandarins  said  to  me 


CHINA'S  SORROW  181 

when  it  was  over,  *  Few  of  these  people  ever  heard  of 
America  before  this  famine  relief  began.  They  will 
always  remember  it  as  the  land  of  The  Christian 
Herald.'" 

By  the  time  that  word  was  received  of  the  results 
accomplished  in  Shansi  and  Shensi  the  collection  of 
the  funds  in  the  United  States  had  been  closed  be- 
cause it  was  evident  that  the  cloud  was  lifting.  Dr. 
Klopsch  had  devoted  the  later  contributions  to  the 
relief  of  Shensi.  In  due  time  he  published  his  usual 
summary  of  the  amounts  received  and  distributed. 
For  the  first  China  famine  a  total  of  $128,280.68  had 
been  expended.  It  had  been  a  magnificent  relief 
for  the  starving  millions  of  the  remote  provinces  of 
China  made  possible  by  the  generosity  of  the  Ameri- 
can people. 


CHAPTER    XI 

FURTHER   FAMINES   IN   CHINA 

SUCCORING  THE  DISTRESS  IN  1903  —  FOOD  FLOTILLA  —  THE  BLACK  HUNGER 

CLOUD  IN  1906  OVERFLOW  OF  THE  GRAND  CANAL  PRESIDENT  ROOSE- 

VELT'S  CHRISTMAS  APPEAL  —  THE  "CHRISTIAN  HERALD"  CONTRIBUTIONS  — 

ACCOUNTS  FROM  SPECIAL  CORRESPONDENT  ELLIS  OF  MILLIONS  STARVING 

THE  PRESIDENT  AND  SECRETARY  ROOT  CONTRIBUTE DR.  KLOPSCH  PROVIDES 

CARGO  FOR  THE  "BUFORD" SECRETARY  TAFT  SPEAKS  FOR  THE  RED  CROSS 

—  RELIEF  SHIP'S  DEPARTURE  FROM  SAN  FRANCISCO  —  SPECIAL  COMMISSIONER 
JOHNSTONS' s  STORY  OF  THE  DISTRIBUTION  —  OFFICIAL  CEREMONIES  —  MIS- 
SIONARIES' ACTIVITIES FINANCIAL  SUMMARY PERMANENT  EFFECTS 

PROVISION  FOR  THE  ORPHANS  —  TRIBUTE  FROM  THE  RED  CROSS. 

IN  the  vast  domain  of  the  Celestial  Empire 
plenty  may  obtain  in  one  section,  while  the 
crops  may  be  a  failure  in  another  district  and 
scarcity  cause  suffering  to  large  numbers  of  people. 
This  frequently  happens,  and  sometimes  it  can 
hardly  be  said  that  from  year  to  year  the  old  Empire 
is  free  from  hunger.  In  the  spring  of  1903,  while 
the  northern  provinces  had  good  crops  and  were 
able  to  take  care  of  themselves,  there  was  suffering 
in  the  south.  The  crops  were  a  failure  in  Kwang 
Si  province  and  more  than  a  million  natives  were 
without  food.  The  American  Minister  and  the  con- 
sular officers  in  China  reported  the  conditions  to  the 
Department  of  State,  and  aid  was  asked  for  the 
Kwang  Si  sufferers.  The  missionaries  sent  similar 
reports  and  also  appealed  for  aid. 

The  Department  of  State  made  the  reports  public, 
and  supplied  Dr.  Klopsch  with  fuller  information. 

182 


FURTHER  FAMINES  IN  CHINA  183 

Without  delay  he  cabled  $5,000  to  American  Consul- 
General  McWade  at  Canton,  and  supplemented  it 
shortly  by  another  remittance  for  $10,000.  A  reply 
came,  addressed  to  the  State  Department,  as  follows: 

"CANTON,  June  7,  1903. 
SECRETARY  OF  STATE,  Washington,  D.  C. : 

"  Viceroy  Te  Sou  asked  me  to  transmit  through  you 
to  The  Christian  Herald  his  profound  and  heart-felt 
gratitude  for  the  donation  of  $10,000  to  starving 
Kwang  Si.  It  was  urgently  needed.  He  says  it 
is  an  added  proof  of  America's  friendship  and 
sympathy  for  China.  I  am  vigorously  preparing  a 
second  American  relief  expedition." 

Further  contributions  were  made  by  The  Christian 
Herald  readers  and  the  funds  forwarded  so  that 
the  relief  expedition  was  carried  out.  The  United 
States  naval  vessels  Monterey  and  Callao,  which 
were  then  in  Chinese  waters,  assisted  in  the  work. 
The  Rev.  John  E.  Fee  wrote  from  Kwaiping,  which 
was  the  center  of  distribution: 

The  distribution  will  be  made  in  the  usual  systematic  and 
impartial  manner,  and  will  be  under  the  supervision  of  Ameri- 
can missionaries,  and  the  literati,  gentries  and  officials  of  the 
stricken  districts.  The  Rev.  A.  J.  Fisher,  of  the  American 
Presbyterian  Mission,  will  be  on  one  of  the  relief  boats,  and  will 
be  met  at  Wuchou  by  the  Rev.  H.  K.  Shmnaker,  of  the  United 
Brothers  in  Christ  Mission,  and  the  Rev.  J.  E.  Fee  of  the 
American  Presbyterian  Mission.  His  Excellency  the  Viceroy 
Te  Sou  will  furnish  a  strong  steam  launch  to  tow  the  relief 
boats  up  the  West  River.  I  will  ask  Lieut.  Anderson  of  the 
U.  S.  S.  Callao  to  escort  them  up  to  Wu,  where  His  Excellency 
Wong  Qim  Chung,  Governor  of  Kwang  Si,  will  have  boats  and 


184  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

small  launches  ready  to  convey  the  rice  to  the  places  where  it 
is  most  needed.  All  of  the  relief  boats  will  carry  American 
flags  and  banners  with  inscriptions  in  the  Chinese  language 
stating  that  the  rice  has  been  bought  for  the  relief  of  the  starv- 
ing natives  with  American  donations  raised  by  The  Christian 
Herald  of  New  York. 

Later  more  complete  details  of  the  famine  flotilla 
were  published.  Consul-General  McWade  wrote 
a  full  report  to  the  Department  of  State.  Among 
other  things,  he  said:  "I  have  the  honor  to  sug- 
gest that  copies  of  these  dispatches  be  forwarded 
to  The  Christian  Herald  for  publication.  The  con- 
tributions of  the  readers  of  that  excellent  journal 
for  the  relief  of  the  famine-stricken  sufferers  have 
undoubtedly  been  the  means  of  saving  many  thou- 
sands of  human  lives.  I  desire  to  join  the  poor 
sufferers  in  appreciative  gratitude  of  The  Christian 
Herald's  abounding  charity." 

Commander  Anderson  of  the  U.  S.  S.  Callao  wrote 
to  the  Consul-General  from  Hong  Kong  enclosing  a 
letter  from  Midshipman  Sterling  in  regard  to  the 
conveying  of  the  American  relief  expedition  from 
Canton  to  Sam  Shui.  This  letter  also  showed  how 
practical  the  work  of  relief  had  been  and  how  thor- 
oughly it  was  appreciated  by  the  starving  people  of 
the  province. 

The  benevolence  of  The  Christian  Herald  had  per- 
manent results,  not  all  of  which  were  restricted 
to  famine.  The  Rev.  Charles  Beals,  of  Wuhu,  early 
in  1904  wrote  a  description  of  a  journey  up  the 
Chao  River  in  the  missionary  house-boat  which 
was  bought  by  the  gifts  of  its  readers.  The  boat 


FURTHER  FAMINES  IN  CHINA  185 

reached  the  Huang-Lo-Ho  district,  which  had  been 
relieved  by  The  Christian  Herald  during  the  flood 
two  years  previously.  The  evidences  of  gratitude 
were  still  made  manifest  in  many  ways. 

In  1906  the  black  cloud  of  one  of  the  great 
famines  swept  over  central  China.  The  floods  in 
Kiangsu  and  Anhwei  provinces  were  phenomenal. 
The  whole  plain  west  of  the  Grand  Canal,  in  places 
100  miles  wide  and  more  than  200  miles  long,  was 
flooded.  The  crops  stood  under  water  till  they 
rotted.  On  some  of  the  rice  fields  the  waters  did 
not  abate  for  more  than  a  month,  the  Grand  Canal 
and  the  lakes  running  together. 

A  relief  committee  was  organized  in  Shanghai, 
and  an  appeal  was  sent  out  to  all  the  world.  Official 
reports  were  received  by  the  State  Department  at 
Washington  from  the  American  Minister  and  from 
the  consular  officers.  These  showed  that  the  worst 
tales  of  suffering  but  feebly  told  the  real  story, 
and  that  immediate  relief  was  imperative.  The 
flooded  area  covered  40,000  square  miles,  which 
usually  supported  fifteen  million  persons. 

President  Roosevelt  in  Christmas  week  of  1906 
issued  a  proclamation  giving  the  facts  and  appealing 
to  the  American  people.  This  proclamation  stated 
that  the  crops  had  been  destroyed  by  floods,  that 
millions  of  people  were  on  the  verge  of  starvation, 
that  thousands  of  dwellings  had  been  destroyed  and 
their  inmates  left  without  homes.  "Our  people," 
said  President  Roosevelt  in  the  proclamation,  "have 
often  under  similar  conditions  of  distress  in  other 
countries  generously  responded  to  such  appeals. 


186  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

Amid  our  abounding  prosperity  and  in  this  holiday 
season  of  good  will  to  men  assuredly  we  should  do 
our  part  to  aid  the  unfortunate  and  relieve  the 
distress  among  the  people  of  China  to  whom  we 
have  been  allied  for  so  many  years  in  friendship 
and  kindness." 

Responding  to  the  President's  appeal,  Dr.  Klopsch 
in  behalf  of  his  readers  immediately  sent  to  the 
State  Department  at  Washington  a  certified  check 
for  $5,000  to  be  applied  to  the  work  of  relief.  A 
contribution  of  $1,000  was  also  sent  to  the  treasurer 
of  a  missionary  committee  at  Chinkiang.  "Let 
us  hope,"  said  an  editorial  in  The  Christian  Herald, 
in  telling  of  these  contributions,  "that  the  Chinese 
famine  may  not  be  of  long  duration  and  that  con- 
ditions may  so  speedily  improve  that  serious  loss 
of  life  will  be  averted." 

This  hope  was  futile.  News  continued  to  come  of 
the  spread  of  the  famine  and  of  the  people  of  China 
dying  of  hunger  by  the  thousands.  Dr.  Klopsch 
therefore  decided  to  respond  to  the  appeal  by  organ- 
izing a  complete  relief  movement.  The  news  was 
that  15  millions  of  human  beings  in  five  provinces 
were  affected.  Of  these,  8  millions  had  lost  most  of 
their  property,  including  buildings  and  food  supplies. 
All  live  stock  had  been  either  sold  or  eaten.  Four 
million  people  were  absolutely  destitute.  Nine  cities 
were  surrounded  by  famine  camps  containing  an 
aggregate  of  800,000  starving  refugees  who  had  been 
compelled  to  abandon  their  own  wrecked  and  deso- 
late homes. 

WilMam  T.  Ellis,  a  traveling   correspondent   of 


FURTHER  FAMINES  IN  CHINA  187 

The  Christian  Herald,  happened  to  be  in  China,  and 
he,  after  visiting  the  relief  committee  at  Shanghai, 
wrote  to  Dr.  Klopsch  that  he  was  there  at  the 
beginning  of  the  most  awful  famine  modern  China 
had  known.  He  proposed  to  go  straight  to  the 
famine  districts.  This  he  did,  and  his  letters  pre- 
sented a  most  vivid  picture  of  the  conditions  that 
the  American  people  were  seeking  to  relieve.  Writ- 
ing from  Chinkiang,  Mr.  Ellis  said:  "Millions  starv- 
ing. The  reader  cannot  imagine  it.  Neither  can  I, 
though  I  write  within  earshot  of  an  encampment  of 
30,000  refugees  whose  thin,  pitiful  wail  for  help  has 
been  in  my  ears  all  day,  although  even  that  has 
been  less  eloquent  than  the  gaunt  and  haggard  pairs 
of  pale,  yellow  and  thin,  trembling,  outstretched 
hands. 

"Oh  those  hands!  I  shudder  as  I  see  them 
stretched  out  in  vain,  for  one  dare  not  give  a  dole 
of  a  penny  lest  he  be  literally  mobbed  by  the  shiver- 
ing, famished  creatures.  For  a  single  almoner  to 
try  to  fill  even  a  few  of  these  hands  is  impossible; 
only  the  united  charity  of  men  and  women  through- 
out Christendom  who  love  their  brother  men  can 
avail  in  this  awful  crisis. 

"What  I  have  seen  today  suggests  a  vision  of 
a  line  of  beseeching  hands  —  all  the  sufferers  of 
this  bitter  famine  ranged  in  a  row,  miles  and  tens 
of  miles  and  scores  of  miles  and  hundreds  of  miles 
long.  Such  thin,  trembling  hands,  many  of  them 
are!  The  old,  old  women,  almost  too  feeble  to 
stand,  gazing  at  you  hollow-eyed  while  their  hands 
are  extended  in  mute  appeal  —  to  think  that  the 


188  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

mothers  of  men  and  the  mothers  of  mothers  of  men 
should  anywhere  come  to  this!  Equally  moving 
are  the  sick,  stretched  out  on  the  bare  ground, 
unable  to  rise,  just  feebly  motioning  for  the  succor 
that  you  cannot  give. 

"And  the  babies!  How  the  cry  of  the  children 
must  go  up  before  God!  Wan  little  figures,  some 
of  them  living  skeletons,  which  mothers  hold  forth 
in  tragic  and  mute  appeal.  Usually  the  poor  little 
creatures  are  held  close  to  the  bare  breasts  of  their 
mothers  for  the  sake  of  a  little  warmth. 

"Incidents  could  be  piled  upon  incidents.  Every 
one  of  these  30,000  refugees  incarnates  a  story,  a 
story  of  a  home  abandoned;  of  toilsome  journey  to 
this  southern  district  in  the  hope  of  finding  a  pit- 
tance of  food  to  allay  that  awful  gnawing  of  hunger; 
of  the  eager  hunt  for  shelter  in  a  doorway;  of  being 
driven  from  spot  to  spot  until  at  last  a  few  feet 
of  bare  earth  are  secured  out  among  the  graves 
with  the  other  refugees,  —  a  space  no  bigger  than  a 
Chinese  grave  suffices  for  an  entire  family;  of  the 
daily  and  nightly  huddling  together  hi  one  mass 
for  the  sake  of  human  warmth;  of  the  search  for 
dry  grass  with  which  to  make  a  tiny  fire;  of  the 
morning  struggle  for  a  portion  of  the  government 
rice,  and  of  that  indescribable,  terrible,  primitive 
dole  between  life  and  starvation  which  the  Chinese 
so  often  endure." 

Correspondent  Ellis  wrote  other  vivid  pictures 
of  the  famine  camps  and  of  how  the  relief  from 
America  was  welcomed  by  the  stricken  millions. 

Meantime  The  Christian  Herald  was  cabling  re- 


FURTHER  FAMINES  IN  CHINA  189 

mittance  after  remittance,  until  the  total  exceeded 
$100,000.  President  Roosevelt  and  Secretary  Root 
gave  the  movement  their  hearty  endorsement,  and 
added  their  personal  contributions  to  The  Christian 
Herald  fund.  These  were  conveyed  in  the  follow- 
ing letter: 

DEPARTMENT  OF  STATE,  WASHINGTON. 

February  1,  1907. 

DEAR  DR.  KLOPSCH:  The  President  has  asked  me  to  say 
to  you  that  he  is  much  interested  in  your  work  to  raise  funds 
for  the  sufferers  by  the  present  dreadful  famine  in  China. 
He  hopes  that  you  will  meet  the  same  success  that  you  have 
had  hi  similar  appeals  to  the  humanity  and  liberality  of  our 
people. 

As  a  contribution  to  the  fund  he  has  handed  me  his  check  for 
$100,  which  I  enclose,  together  with  a  similar  check  of  my  own. 
With  best  wishes,  I  am 

Very  sincerely  yours, 

(Signed)    ELIHU  ROOT. 

While  continuing  to  cable  cash  remittances,  other 
practical  means  of  relief  were  also  organized.  The 
Christian  Herald  through  Dr.  Klopsch  made  an  offer 
to  the  Government  to  furnish  a  cargo  of  5,000  tons 
of  food  stuffs  for  the  Chinese,  provided  a  relief  ship 
would  be  supplied  by  the  Government  to  carry 
the  cargo.  The  offer  was  accepted  and  the  army 
transport  Buford  was  assigned  to  this  duty,  it  being 
placed  at  the  disposal  of  the  National  Red  Cross 
Society  for  the  purpose  of  carrying  The  Christian 
Herald  cargo  to  China.  An  official  announcement 
was  issued  by  the  State  Department  saying  that 
the  assignment  of  the  transport  for  this  purpose  was 
made  at  the  request  of  Dr.  Klopsch. 


190  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

The  Buford  was  at  the  wharf  in  San  Francisco,  and 
arrangements  were  rapidly  carried  forward  to  supply 
the  cargo  of  5,000  tons  of  American  flour.  Edward 
H.  Harriman,  of  the  Union  Pacific  system,  and 
Marvin  Hughitt,  of  the  Chicago  and  Northwest- 
ern, donated  to  the  famine  fund  free  transpor- 
tation over  their  lines  from  Minneapolis  to  San 
Francisco  up  to  1,000  tons  of  flour.  The  balance  of 
the  cargo  was  purchased  in  San  Francisco  through 
the  Commissary-General  of  the  War  Department, 
and  paid  for  by  The  Christian  Herald  fund. 

In  the  meantime  came  evidences  of  appreciation 
of  the  life-saving  work.  The  American  National  Red 
Cross  made  its  acknowledgments  through  Secretary 
Taft  of  the  War  Department  in  the  following  letter: 

"THE  AMERICAN  NATIONAL  RED  CROSS, 

WAR  DEPARTMENT, 
WASHINGTON,  D.  C.,  April  23,  1907. 
"My  DEAR  DR.  KLOPSCH:  In  the  name  of  the 
American  National  Red  Cross  may  I  express  to  you, 
and  through  you  to  the  contributors  of  The  Christian 
Herald  Chinese  famine  fund,  the  thanks  and  deep 
appreciation  of  the  Society  for  the  great  work  their 
most  generous  contributions  made  to  that  fund  have 
accomplished  in  the  relief  of  the  starving  multitudes 
in  China.  Without  the  great  sum  raised  by  The 
Christian  Herald,  and  the  bountiful  cargo  of  the 
Buford  provided  by  it,  thousands  of  these  poor 
people  would  have  perished;  but,  saved  by  these 
merciful  gifts,  they  can  now  live  until  their  own  fields 
provide  the  needed  harvests. 
Yours  sincerely, 

(Signed)  WILLIAM  H.  TAFT, 
President  of  the  American  Red  Cross.'* 


FURTHER  FAMINES  IN  CHINA  191 

About  the  same  time  the  State  Department, 
through  Acting  Secretary  Bacon,  acknowledged  the 
receipt  of  $50,000  to  be  cabled  to  the  American 
Consul-General  at  Shanghai,  so  that  $50,000  was 
available  in,  China  in  a  single  day. 

The  Buford  sailed  from  San  Francisco  on  April 
30.  Special  services  were  held  at  the  dock  in  the 
morning,  and  were  impressive  and  enthusiastic 
throughout.  On  the  platform  were  many  officials  of 
prominence,  including  the  governor  of  the  state,  and 
also  many  representative  ministers.  Mr.  E.  R.  John- 
stone,  who  was  to  accompany  the  vessel  to  China  as 
the  special  representative  of  The  Christian  Herald, 
was  also  present.  The  Rev.  Frank  DeWitt  Talmage 
presided,  and  made  a  brief  address.  He  concluded, 
"  May  God  bless  the  Buford  in  her  mission  of  mercy. 
Standing  here  today  in  the  presence  of  the  gover- 
nor of  this  commonwealth,  and  the  president  of  our 
largest  university,  and  the  bishop  of  our  largest 
Episcopal  diocese,  and  the  representatives  of  the 
Catholic  and  the  Protestant  churches,  all  of  whom 
have  contributed  to  this  fund,  we  are  here  to  ask  a 
divine  blessing  upon  the  Buford,  this  new  messenger 
of  peace  of  America's  international  policies.  May 
God  bless  the  President  of  the  United  States  and  his 
great  Secretary,  and  all  who  have  contributed  to 
this  noble  service  of  saving  the  physical  lives  of  the 
dying  men  and  women  and  children  of  poor,  suffering, 
starving  China." 

Mr.  E.  R.  Johnstone,  on  behalf  of  The  Christian 
Herald,  thanked  the  audience  for  its  interest  and 
sympathy  in  the  relief  work.  He  read  a  communi- 


192  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

cation  from  Dr.  Klopsch  thanking  the  people  of  this 
Christian  land  of  ours  and  our  sympathetic  Govern- 
ment for  all  the  loving  kindness,  cordial  cooperation, 
and  generous  sympathy  that  they  had  shown  toward 
the  starving  people  of  China.  The  communication 
concluded:  "I  send  my  earnest  prayers  and  best 
wishes  for  the  Buford,  her  officers  and  crew  (God 
bless  them,  one  and  all),  and  for  a  speedy  and  pros- 
perous conclusion  of  her  mission  of  mercy." 

President  Wheeler,  of  the  University  of  California, 
Bishop  William  Ford  Nichols,  Governor  Gillett  and 
ex-Mayor  Phelan,  on  behalf  of  the  Red  Cross,  also 
spoke,  all  of  them  expressing  gratitude  for  the  great 
assistance  rendered  by  The  Christian  Herald  and 
its  readers  to  the  life-saving  campaign  in  famine- 
stricken  China. 

"My  Country,  'tis  of  Thee,"  was  then  sung  by  the 
audience,  after  which  Dr.  Frank  DeWitt  Talmage 
invoked  the  divine  blessing  upon  the  cargo.  With 
the  singing  of  the  Doxology  the  exercises  closed. 

Half  an  hour  after  noon,  amid  the  cheers  of  the 
spectators  and  the  stirring  music  of  the  band,  the 
Buford  steamed  away  from  her  dock  and  out  towards 
the  Pacific,  The  Christian  Herald  relief  flag  stream- 
ing out  as  she  moved  down  the  bay.  Among  her 
passengers  were  twenty-five  members  of  Congress 
and  their  wives,  who  were  going  to  Honolulu,  which 
was  to  be  the  first  port  of  call. 

"It  was  ten  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  Memorial 
Day,"  wrote  Special  Commissioner  Johnstone,  "that 
the  United  States  army  transport  Buford  dropped 
her  anchor  on  the  edge  of  the  Yang-tse.  We  were 


FURTHER  FAMINES  IN  CHINA  193 

31  days  out  from  San  Francisco,  and  with  stoppage 
for  coal  at  Honolulu  and  Nagasaki  had  covered  more 
than  2,000  leagues  of  ocean. 

"First  we  were  boarded  by  the  brisk  little  gig  bear- 
ing a  customs  officer,  and  then  by  Rev.  T.  F.  McCrea, 
a  missionary  of  the  Southern  Baptist  church,  and 
Mr.  M.  J.  Walker,  agent  of  the  English  Bible  Society, 
representatives  of  the  missionary  committee.  With 
them  was  an  aide  of  Yung,  Taotai  or  governor  of 
Ching  Kiang  and  the  surrounding  contiguous  dis- 
tricts. 

"In  a  few  moments  after  the  Buford's  arrival 
the  single-masted,  lateen-sailed  junks  began  to  sur- 
round the  steamer  and  to  take  up  positions  along  her 
white  sides.  To  foreign  ears  it  was  confusion  worse 
confounded.  The  boatmen  yelled,  sang,  wrangled, 
laughed,  and  ran  to  and  fro  in  utter  abandonment. 
But  somehow  out  of  confusion  came  a  semblance  of 
order  and  by  three  in  the  afternoon  gangs  of  coolies, 
each  under  the  supervision  of  a  boss,  and  all  under 
the  eyes  of  the  missionaries  —  Walker,  McLane, 
Napier,  and  Lamp  ton  —  had  made  a  break  in  the 
cargo  and  were  unloading  from  four  ports,  two  on 
each  side  of  the  ship. 

"Without  announcement  and  only  four  hours  after 
our  arrival  at  Ching  Kiang,  Taotai  Yung,  accom- 
panied by  his  chief  magistrate  and  harbor  master 
and  a  retinue  of  servants,  came  on  board  to  make 
an  official  call  upon  the  representative  of  The  Chris- 
tian Herald.  Yung  is  a  Manchu,  and  large  and 
imposing,  as  I  have  found  all  northerners  of  rank 
to  be.  He  wears  a  sparse  moustache,  has  a  dignified 


194  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

courtesy  and  a  pleasant  smile  that  are  most  fetch- 
ing, and  he  was  cordiality  itself.  Mr.  Walker  acted 
as  interpreter,  and  the  conversation  ran  about  in 
this  wise: 

Myself:  "Your  Excellency,  I  come  as  representative  of 
The  Christian  Herald,  and  those  who  through  that  paper  have 
been  instrumental  in  sending  $450,000  in  gold  or  its  worth  in 
supplies  to  your  stricken  and  starving  people,  and  to  tell  you 
that  American  hearts  are  full  of  sympathy  for  you  and  your 
people  in  their  distress.  They  are  glad  to  give  of  their  substance 
to  relieve  your  need.  They  are  glad  to  show  their  feeling  of 
brotherhood." 

The  Taotai:  (Rising  and  bowing  three  times  with  hands 
clasped  in  an  arch  above  his  breast  in  Chinese  salutation)  "I 
am  unworthy,  unworthy.  I  am  honored  by  what  you  say  and 
by  your  representative  presents.  From  mind  and  heart  I  tell 
you  thanks.  I  charge  you  convey  to  The  Christian  Herald 
particularly,  and  to  the  Americans  generally,  my  warmest 
gratitude  and  that  of  all  my  people.  We  will  never  forget  what 
you  have  done.  We  will  remember  while  life  lasts  this  great 
ship,  its  cargo  of  food,  and  what  it  means  to  the  starving.  I 
am  unworthy.  I  am  honored." 

"All  this  was  said  in  sincerest  fashion,  and  with  a 
dignity  that  added  great  impressiveness." 

Letters  were  written  by  Mr.  Johnstone  from  vari- 
ous districts  up  the  Grand  Canal.  From  Huian  he 
wrote:  "Two  hours  ago  I  saw  the  first  sack  of 
Buford  flour  delivered  to  a  starving  applicant.  It 
was  a  man,  gray -haired,  gaunt,  grateful,  if  grave  eyes 
filled  with  new  light,  joined  palms  lifted  in  salute, 
meant  aught.  The  second  sack  went  to  a  withered 
crone  with  half  a  dozen  mouths  to  feed;  the  third 
to  a  girl  not  more  than  twelve  and  barely  able  to 


FURTHER  FAMINES  IN  CHINA  195 

shoulder  and  carry  away  the  half  hundredweight  of 
life-saving  food. 

"It  was  from  the  deck  of  one  of  the  three  junks 
towed  with  infinite  difficulty  from  Ching  Kiang  that 
the  delivery  was  made.  It  was  supervised  by  Rev. 
H.  M.  Woods,  a  missionary  of  twenty-five  years* 
service  in  China  and  whose  house  is  in  the  center  of 
Huian,  a  prominent  walled  city  of  150,000  people 
situated  on  the  Grand  Canal,  at  the  southern  edge 
of  the  famine  district,  and  for  months  a  principal 
distributing  point  for  American  relief.  Dr.  Woods 
was  assisted  by  Messrs.  Brown  and  Espey,  young 
missionary  volunteers  from  Shanghai  who  for  months 
have  undergone  physical  hardships,  mental  distress, 
dangers  from  violence  and  disease  in  order  that  they 
might  save  lives.  The  junk  with  1,380  sacks  of 
Christian  Herald  flour  was  moored  on  the  west  bank 
of  the  Grand  Canal.  To  the  left  and  on  top  of  the 
bank  was  a  Buddhist  temple,  and  through  a  narrow 
stockade,  built  to  keep  away  the  importunate 
crowds  and  leading  into  the  temple  court,  passed 
long  lines  of  coolies  bearing  the  cargo  of  sacks  from 
another  junk.  In  the  very  storeroom  in  which  the 
pile  of  flour  sacks  rose  was  a  glass-covered  niche 
from  which  beamed  a  placid  Buddha. 

"Very  soon  after  breakfast  the  chief  official  of  the 
city  and  district,  magistrate  Sun,  a  handsome  young 
nobleman,  paid  me  an  official  call.  Sun  and  Yung 
Chang,  head  of  the  district  telegraph  service,  who 
accompanied  him,  were  profuse  in  their  expressions 
of  gratitude  to  the  donors  of  the  flour;  asked  me  to 
send  their  message  of  thanks  to  America,  and  said 


196  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

the  kindness  of  our  people  would  always  bloom  fresh 
in  Chinese  hearts  as  showing  brotherhood  of  a  prac- 
tical sort. 

"The  deeper  I  get  into  the  stricken  region,  the 
more  I  see  and  hear  of  the  relief  work,  the  prouder 
I  am  of  my  Americanism,  the  gladder  over  the 
generosity  of  The  Christian  Herald  readers.  I  have 
said  little  or  nothing  of  the  horrors  of  the  famine- 
stricken  region.  I  shall  not  descant  upon  them. 
God  knows  they  are  real  enough,  affecting  enough, 
terrible  enough.  Within  the  last  few  days  I  have 
seen  more  emaciation  than  you  could  find  in  the 
United  States  from  one  end  to  the  other,  I  believe. 
It  is  impossible  to  conceive,  much  less  describe, 
conditions  in  these  densely  populated  centers." 

From  Tsing  Kiang  Pu,  a  city  of  140,000  inhabi- 
tants, Mr.  Johnstone  wrote  a  further  account. 
The  name  means  "Bank  of  the  clear  river."  It  is 
a  point  where  the  Grand  Canal  is  first  broken  by 
lakes  and  from  which  trends  the  great  road  to 
Peking,  500  miles  or  more  away  to  the  northward, 
that  for  tens  of  centuries  has  been  the  main  traveled 
highway  for  the  busy  myriads  of  the  great  provinces 
along  the  sea. 

"I  rode  out  to  see  an  old  canal  some  three 
miles  off,"  said  Mr.  Johnstone,  "in  redigging  which 
the  missionaries  had  given  employment  to  some  4,700 
refugees.  The  Rev.  A.  D.  Rice,  who  had  charge  of 
the  workers,  accompanied  me.  Our  way  ran  through 
thousands  and  thousands  of  the  conical  graves  which 
take  up  so  much  available  land  in  this  country. 
Here  and  there  were  tombs  of  priests  with  impos- 


THE   U.   S.  TROOPSHIP  BUFORD,   WHICH  CARRIED   RELIEF 
TO  CHINA 


UNLOADING  THE  BUFORD'S  CARGO 


FURTHER  FAMINES  IN  CHINA  197 

ing  headstones  and  circumscribing  groves  of  stunted 
pines.  But  earth  was  the  usual  weir  of  the  dead, 
each  cone  for  all  the  world  like  the  ant  hills  of 
inner  Africa,  surmounted  by  a  clay  image  of  a  hat, 
sometimes  fashioned  like  the  bishop's  mitre,  again 
like  an  hour  glass,  or  rarely  spherical  with  the 
mortar  board  of  the  student  over-topping  all.  Here 
and  there  were  fresh  graves  into  which  were  thrust 
bamboo  splints  wrapped  with  paper.  If  the  paper 
was  smooth  it  was  noted  that  the  deceased  has  left 
as  many  children  as  there  were  sticks.  If  rough, 
grandchildren  were  indicated.  I  passed  one  with 
five  smooth  paper  sticks,  and  seven  with  rough. 
'That  will  be  an  honored  ancestry  indeed/  said  Mr. 
Rice;  'she  will  have  many  to  worship  her  now  that 
she  is  dead  and  throned  in  the  Chinese  heaven,  or 
so  her  descendants  believe.'  Everywhere  were  evi- 
dences of  careful  husbandry.  Most  of  the  small 
farms  were  in  wheat,  and  the  yield  was  wretched. 
Bugs  and  worms  and  drought  had  cut  the  crop 
into  hah*  or  less  of  the  usual  output.  In  scores  of 
places  a  small  ox  was  dragging  a  corrugated  cylinder 
of  stone  across  a  threshing  floor  that  might  have 
been  left  bodily  from  the  Palestine  of  the  days  of 
Solomon." 

Commissioner  Johnstone  continued  to  visit  the 
various  relief  stations  and  send  accounts  of  the 
good  work  that  was  done  in  the  distribution  of 
the  Buford's  cargo.  He  also  forwarded  a  very 
interesting  description  of  his  interview  with  Tuan 
Fang,  the  lord  of  80  millions,  the  great  Chinese 
Viceroy. 


198  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

Tuan  Fang's  kingdom  stretches  for  more  than  a 
thousand  miles  north  and  south  and  is  full  five  hun- 
dred broad  at  its  narrowest.  It  embraces  the  great 
province  of  Kiang  Su,  which  borders  the  eastern  sea, 
and  is  probably  the  richest,  as  it  certainly  has  the 
most  learned  men  of  the  Empire. 

"Tuan  Fang,"  wrote  Mr.  Johnstone,  "is  a  Man- 
chu.  He  turned  to  where  I  was  seated  on  his  right 
and  said,  *I  greet  you  with  deep  respect  and  grati- 
tude, in  that  you  have  come  so  many  thousands 
of  miles  to  bring  flour  to  my  hungry  people.  I 
feel,  Sir,  (placing  his  hand  on  his  heart)  to  my 
deepest  being  how  kind  The  Christian  Herald  and 
Dr.  Klopsch,  its  editor,  have  been.  They  have  won 
the  gratitude  not  only  of  the  Chinese  people,  but  of 
China's  officials,  and  their  thoughtfulness  will  never 
be  forgotten.  It  is  wonderful  what  they  have  done.' 

"I  replied  that  Americans  in  general,  and  The 
Christian  Herald  in  particular,  were  glad  to  give 
tangible  evidence  of  their  high  regard  and  sympathy 
for  the  Chinese.  Again  the  Viceroy  expressed  deep 
gratitude.  Ere  we  finally  made  our  adieus,  the  Viceroy 
said:  'I  much  regret  that  my  illness  will  prevent  my 
giving  you  a  feast  as  I  had  intended,  nor  can  I  return 
the  visit  with  which  you  have  honored  and  pleased 
me.  I  wish  for  you  all  and  for  Dr.  Klopsch,  your 
families  and  to  all  who  gave  toward  the  flour,  health 
and  prosperity.  May  you  have  a  safe  voyage  home 
and  be  able  to  tell  your  people  of  our  gratitude  and 
praise." 

When  it  became  clear  that  all  which  was  possible 
for  the  relief  of  the  famine-stricken  people  of  China 


FURTHER  FAMINES  IN  CHINA  199 

in  the  way  of  collecting  funds  and  sending  food  had 
been  done,  and  that  the  new  harvest  would  be  suf- 
ficient to  sustain  the  population,  the  collection  of 
money  and  supplies  was  discontinued.  In  due  time 
the  usual  certified,  audited  statement  was  rendered 
by  Dr.  Klopsch.  It  showed  a  total  of  receipt  of  the 
second  Chinese  famine  fund,  under  the  auspices  of 
The  Christian  Herald,  of  $427,323.91.  Of  the  cash 
remittances  $175,000  was  made  through  the  State 
Department,  and  $75,000  direct  through  the  Ameri- 
can National  Red  Cross.  The  cost  of  the  flour  pur- 
chased for  the  Buford  was  $110,000,  and  the  railway 
freight  for  transporting  it  to  San  Francisco,  which 
was  donated,  was  $40,000.  The  detailed  statement 
showed  that  there  had  been  149,000  separate  con- 
tributions to  the  fund.  Balance,  aggregating  $112,- 
833.52,  was  transferred  to  the  support  of  orphans  of 
the  famine  in  the  care  of  numerous  missionaries. 

In  presenting  the  audited  statement  of  receipts 
and  expenditures  Dr.  Klopsch,  in  an  editorial  in  The 
Christian  Herald,  described  it  as  the  "glorious  work 
in  China."  Appreciation  came  from  the  Shanghai 
relief  committee.  Edward  S.  Little,  the  chairman  of 
the  executive  committee,  wrote: 

SHANGHAI,  July  6,  1907. 

DEAR  DR.  KLOPSCH:  The  great  famine  which  has  devastated 
several  prefectures  of  this  province  is  now  over.  The  people 
and  officials  very  highly  appreciate  all  that  has  been  done  to 
save  them  from  a  terrible  death  at  the  hands  of  the  hunger 
fiend. 

A  great  part  of  the  success  of  our  work  has  been  due  to  your 
noble  efforts,  and  I  wish  in  the  most  positive  and  hearty  way 
possible  to  express  to  you  from  our  committee  our  very  sincere 


200  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

thanks  for  the  wonderful  work  you  and  your  widely-circulated 
paper  have  accomplished.  .  .  .  The  total  amount  of  con- 
tributions realized  through  our  committee  and  the  Ching  Kiang 
committee  and  other  sources  reached  a  total  of  $1,600,000 
Mexican  ($800,000  .  gold).  Of  this  sum,  about  $1,000,000 
($500,000  gold)  was  realized  from  America,  and  largely  through 
your  good  self.  We  have  relieved  over  a  million  persons  with 
these  funds  by  direct  assistance,  and  very  many  more  by  the 
indirect  results  which  have  accrued  through  our  efforts  by 
compelling  officials  and  gentry  who  held  stocks  of  food  stuff  to 
realize  at  reasonable  rates.  Great  numbers  of  people  in  the 
famine  area  have  thanked  our  sub-committees  for  this  very 
reason.  A  number  of  them  had  sufficient  money  to  buy  food 
stuffs  to  see  them  through,  even  at  enhanced  prices,  but  not 
at  the  terribly  inflated  rates  that  were  ruling.  The  vast  impor- 
tation of  food  stuffs  from  our  committee  compelled  holders  of 
grain  to  reduce  prices  and  thus  enable  the  above  class  of  people 
to  hold  out  till  the  harvest. 

A  very  great  amount  of  relief  works  have  been  put  in,  which 
tend  to  ameliorate  conditions  of  life  in  the  country  and  in  some 
measure  to  prevent  a  recurrence  of  famine  by  flood.  We  shall 
do  our  best  to  persuade  the  Government  to  carry  on  to  com- 
pletion the  works  so  begun. 

A  further  great  benefit  that  will  result  from  this  famine  work 
will  be  the  bettering  of  the  relations  existing  between  the 
Chinese  and  foreigners.  Both  sides  have  come  to  understand 
each  other  better,  and  have  seen  another  phase  of  each  others' 
character.  I  have  no  doubt  whatever  that  a  further  result 
has  been  the  breaking  down  of  anti-foreign  barriers,  so  that 
missionaries  from  this  time  on  have  an  access  to  the  people's 
attention  and  hearts  such  as  has  never  been  known  before. 

The  work  has  involved  of  course  an  enormous  strain  upon 
us,  physically  and  mentally,  and  entailed  an  immense  amount 
of  labor;  but  all  have  worked  well  and  a  very  great  success  has 
crowned  our  united  efforts. 

The  orphan  work  in  China  naturally  followed  the 
famine  relief  work.  At  the  close  of  the  fearful  visi- 


FURTHER  FAMINES  IN  CHINA  201 

tations,  the  missionaries  found  themselves  burdened 
with  a  new  responsibility.  In  a  number  of  prov- 
inces where  the  suffering  had  been  most  severe, 
hundreds  of  poor  families  were  completely  wiped 
out  by  death,  while  others  were  reduced  to  two  or 
three  members,  mostly  children.  These  helpless 
little  creatures  were  taken  by  relatives  or  strangers 
to  the  missionaries,  and  many  of  the  latter  soon 
found  themselves  in  the  difficult  position  of  having 
to  support  a  large  family  of  orphan  waifs  for  whom 
they  had  no  provision  beyond  the  regular  mission 
stipend. 

At  this  time  the  appeal  was  made  to  The  Christian 
Herald,  and  Dr.  Klopsch  after  investigation  under- 
took in  behalf  of  its  readers  to  aid  in  the  orphan 
work.  Remittances  were  forwarded  to  the  mission- 
aries who  were  in  most  urgent  need.  A  permanent 
provision  was  arranged  for  various  orphanages.  The 
unexpended  balance  of  the  famine  fund  was  devoted 
to  the  support  of  some  three  thousand  orphans,  under 
the  personal  direction  of  the  missionary  committee, 
of  which  the  Rev.  W.  C.  Longden  was  Chairman. 
This  fund  is  still  in  operation.  There  are  now  about 
two  thousand  orphans  on  the  roll.  Remittances  are 
sent  regularly  every  quarter  in  advance. 


CHAPTER    XII 

SYMPATHY  WITH    THE   NEW   JAPAN 

CLOSE  BOND  WITH  THE  AMERICAN  PEOPLE FAILURE  OF  THE  RICE  CROP  IN  1906 

DISTRESS  OF  THE  POPULATION THE  "CHRISTIAN  HERALD "  STARTS  THE 

FUNDS COOPERATION  IN  RELIEF  MOVEMENTS SKETCH  OF  THE  JAPANESE 

RED    CROSS MISSIONARY    COMMITTEE PRESIDENT    ROOSEVELT    THANKS 

DR.  KLOPSCH HOPE  DAWNS STATE  DEPARTMENT  REPORTS PERMANENT 

AID  FOR   THE  ORPHANS GRATEFUL  LETTER  FROM  GOVERNORS   OF   THE 

SUCCORED  PROVINCES JAPANESE   GOVERNMENT'S  RECOGNITION BARON 

OZAWA'S  SPECIAL  MISSION  —  ORDER  OF  THE  RISING  SUN  CONFERRED  ON  DR. 
KLOPSCH  —  FURTHER  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. 

IN  the  awakening  of  the  Orient,  Japan  has  been 
the  first  of  the  old  nations  to  shake  off  the 
sleep  of  centuries.  From  the  time  when  Com- 
modore Perry  opened  the  doors  to  Western  civiliza- 
tion the  history  and  the  customs  of  the  Japanese 
have  had  a  fascinating  interest  for  the  American 
people.  But  they  have  also  been  interested  in  the 
marvelous  progress  since  the  Japanese  have  prided 
themselves  that  they  were  the  pupils  of  America. 
There  has  been  a  spirit  of  mutual  friendliness. 

After  the  conclusion  of  the  war  with  Russia,  Japan 
began  to  experience  the  industrial  and  financial 
depression  which  is  not  unusual  with  the  victors  in 
war.  Reactions  of  this  sort  are,  however,  overcome 
and  the  advance  of  a  nation  is  not  halted.  But 
there  are  some  events  which  cannot  be  anticipated. 
One  of  these  is  the  failure  of  crops. 

In  the  summer  of  1906  reports  were  received  that 

202 


SYMPATHY  WITH  THE  NEW  JAPAN  203 

the  northern  provinces  were  in  the  grip  of  famine. 
The  American  missionaries  at  Sendai  made  known  the 
situation.  The  Government  had  established  relief 
stations  and  was  making  heroic  efforts  to  mitigate 
the  suffering,  but  there  was  the  cruel  fact  that  the 
rice  crop  in  what  was  usually  one  of  the  finest  gran- 
aries of  the  country  was  a  failure,  and  that  a  large 
number  of  people,  estimated  at  one  million,  were 
without  food. 

The  Rev.  H.  Loomis,  of  the  American  Bible  Society 
at  Yokohama,  wrote  The  Christian  Herald: 

"The  Japanese  officials  are  doing  all  in  their  power. 
They  will  be  most  grateful  for  any  voluntary  con- 
tributions, but  are  too  self-respecting  to  appear  be- 
fore the  world  as  beggars.  Knowing  the  readiness 
of  your  people  to  assist  in  every  good  work,  I  take 
this  opportunity  to  request  help  to  relieve  this  great 
distress.  Such  action  will  demonstrate  to  the  Jap- 
anese the  spirit  of  Christianity  and  your  sincere 
interest  in  their  welfare." 

The  Rev.  J.  H.  De  Forest,  of  the  Sendai  Missionary 
Committee,  wrote: 

"The  national  pride  of  the  Japanese  prevents  him 
from  making  any  public  appeal  for  aid.  But  to 
ask  for  aid  is  a  very  different  thing  from  receiving 
aid  proffered  by  sympathetic  friends.  It  was  solely 
in  this  support  that  foreigners  ventured  with  hesi- 
tancy to  place  an  appeal  before  the  foreign  com- 
munities. It  is  our  privilege  to  help  soften  the 
sorrow  of  thousands  of  homes  and  if  this  be  done  as 
friends  the  act  will  win  the  gratitude  of  all  classes." 

It  became  known  that  many  of  the  people  in  the 


204  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

famine-stricken  provinces  were  living  on  roots  and 
bark.  Though  every  effort  was  made  at  least  to 
supply  enough  subsistence  to  save  the  suffering 
peasants  from  starvation,  many  did  die  from  lack 
of  nourishment.  In  some  cases  they  sought  to  live 
upon  what  was  known  as  "hunger-bread,"  which  was 
a  composition  of  earth  mixed  with  powdered  rice, 
straw,  and  acorns.  Some  of  the  poor  people  had 
nothing  but  crushed  acorns  and  earth. 

As  letter  after  letter  came  from  the  missionaries, 
intelligence  was  received  from  other  foreigners  in 
Japan,  and  as  the  Government  officials  reluctantly 
told  of  their  efforts  to  relieve  the  distress  and  con- 
fessed their  fears  that  these  would  be  unavailing 
without  aid  from  abroad,  a  sustenance  relief  move- 
ment was  started  in  the  United  States. 

Dr.  Klopsch  began  forwarding  money  even  before 
The  Christian  Herald  readers  had  time  to  send  in 
their  contributions.  In  The  Christian  Herald,  he 
wrote: 

" '  Give  us  bread,  give  us  bread,  or  we  perish/  is  the 
pitiful  cry  which  comes  from  the  northern  provinces 
of  far-away  Japan  to  Christian  America.  Mothers 
frantically  pressing  the  emaciated  little  forms  of 
infant  children  to  their  parched  breasts,  as  if  by  em- 
brace to  keep  the  feeble  spark  of  life  from  becoming 
wholly  extinct;  wives  whose  hearts  are  breaking  as 
they  see  the  bread-winner  of  the  family  growing 
weaker  and  weaker  day  after  day,  without  prospect 
of  relief;  and  husbands  whose  looks  of  hopeless  agony 
speak  louder  than  words  of  the  terrible  dread  and 
apprehension  that  fill  their  hearts,  are  straining  their 


EMPEROR  MUTSUHITO  AND  THE  EMPRESS  OF  JAPAN 


THE  DECORATION  OF  THE  "RISING  SUN" 

Presented  to  Dr.  Klopsch  by  the  Emperor  of  Japan 


SYMPATHY  WITH  THE  NEW  JAPAN  205 

eyes  in  the  direction  of  this  country  whence  hail  the 
missionaries  who  have  told  them  of  the  beautiful 
story  of  one  Jesus,  who  went  about  doing  good, 
who  fed  the  multitudes,  and  whose  followers  in  this 
blessed  country  are  working  in  the  foot-steps  of  their 
Master." 

President  Roosevelt,  voicing  the  feelings  of  the 
American  people,  addressed  an  appeal  in  behalf  of 
the  suffering  nation.  In  this  he  said: 

"The  famine  situation  in  northern  Japan  is  proving 
much  more  serious  than  at  first  supposed,  and  thou- 
sands of  persons  are  on  the  verge  of  starvation.  It 
is  a  calamity  such  as  may  occasionally  befall  any 
nation.  Nations,  like  men,  should  stand  ever  ready 
to  aid  each  other  in  distress,  and  I  appeal  to  the 
American  people  to  help  from  their  abundance  their 
suffering  fellow-men  of  the  great  and  friendly  nation 
of  Japan." 

The  diplomatic  and  consular  officers  of  the  United 
States  in  the  meantime  had  forwarded  official  reports 
confirming  all  that  had  previously  been  received  from 
private  sources.  The  reports  stated  that  a  large  part 
of  the  population  in  the  famine  provinces  was 
reduced  to  subsistence  on  roots  of  trees,  leaves,  barks 
and  acorns. 

In  the  consular  advices,  some  of  the  recipes  for  the 
preparation  of  what  was  designated  as  "emergency 
food"  were  given,  and  they  revealed  with  startling 
emphasis  the  desperate  straits  to  which  the  sufferers 
had  been  reduced.  One  illustration  shows  the 
character  of  this  "emergency  food."  It  describes 
the  straw-cakes,  which  were  seven  parts  water,  one 


206  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

and  one-half  parts  cheap  flour,  with  three-quarters 
of  a  pound  of  lime  and  a  half  pound  of  potassium 
bicarbonate.  The  straw  was  cut  fine  and  boiled 
an  hour  and  a  half  in  sixteen  quarts  of  water.  The 
roots  and  chaff  were  skimmed  off  and  thrown  away. 
The  straw  water  was  strained  through  the  lime,  after 
which  the  potassium  bicarbonate  was  added,  and 
then  more  straw  put  in.  This  boiled  straw  was 
washed  with  fresh  water  and  strained,  and  the  resi- 
due thoroughly  mixed  with  cheap  flour,  forming 
the  consistency  of  tough  dough.  This  was  made 
into  cakes  and  allowed  to  dry,  after  which  it  was 
pounded  and  beaten,  then  it  was  mixed  with  water 
and  boiled  into  soup.  This  recipe  made  about  eight 
quarts  of  food. 

Various  committees  were  formed  in  the  United 
States,  the  American  National  Red  Cross  Society 
exerted  itself,  and  the  Japanese  National  Red  Cross 
was  selected  as  the  chief  source  for  distributing  the 
relief.  Japan  was  fortunate  in  having  its  National 
Red  Cross  Society,  which  labored  in  harmonious 
conjunction  with  the  missionary  and  other  foreign 
relief  workers.  The  Society  had  its  origin  with 
Haku-ai-sha,  or  "  Society  of  Extended  Benevolence," 
founded  by  a  number  of  philanthropic  Japanese 
noblemen  when  the  Satsuma  rebellion  broke  out  in 
1877.  After  the  rebellion  was  suppressed,  the  pro- 
moters of  the  Haku-ai-sha  effected  a  permanent 
organization  and  made  preparations  for  future  emer- 
gencies, training  surgeons  and  nurses  for  active 
field  service.  They  established  at  Tokio  the  Haku- 
ai-sha  Hospital,  where  poor  patients  were  treated 


SYMPATHY  WITH  THE  NEW  JAPAN  207 

gratuitously,  and  where  surgeons  and  nurses  were 
trained.  Later  it  placed  itself  in  connection  with 
the  International  Committee  of  the  Red  Cross  at 
Geneva,  and  entered  into  fraternal  relations  with 
similar  societies  in  other  countries.  It  also  changed 
its  name  to  the  "Red  Cross  Society  of  Japan." 

By  1905  the  Society  had  nearly  a  million  members, 
each  of  whom  was  pledged  to  contribute  not  less  than 
three  yen  ($1.50)  annually  for  a  period  of  ten  years. 
The  Society  has  a  Central  Board  or  Headquarters 
in  Tokio,  and  branch  offices  in  all  the  prefectures, 
called  "local  stations."  A  General  Assembly  of  all 
the  members,  held  in  Tokio  once  a  year,  is  honored 
by  the  presence  of  the  Emperor  in  person.  At  this 
Assembly  the  election  of  thirty  members  of  a  standing 
committee  for  the  term  of  three  years  takes  place. 
The  membership  of  this  committee  is  honorary.  The 
officers  do  not  receive  salaries. 

The  Emperor  has  endowed  the  Society  with  a 
fixed  capital,  which  produces  $2,500  a  year,  and  the 
Empress  has  granted  an  annual  endowment  of  a 
similar  amount  to  the  Hospital  of  the  Society.  On 
the  twenty-fifth  anniversary  of  the  foundation  of  the 
International  Committee  of  the  Red  Cross  in  Geneva, 
the  Empress  made  a  gift  of  $50,000  to  the  Society,  as 
a  hospital  fund,  and  granted  the  free  use  of  an  im- 
mense tract  of  land  situated  in  the  suburbs  of  Tokio 
as  hospital  grounds. 

In  the  statutes  of  the  Japanese  Red  Cross  Society, 
the  expression  often  recurs  "  relief  in  case  of  political 
disaster  or  national  calamity."  When  in  1888  the 
eruption  of  Mount  Bandi  occurred,  and  several 


208  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

hundred  persons  were  killed,  the  Society  sent  to  the 
scene  of  disaster  physicians  equipped  with  all  that 
was  necessary  for  succor.  It  also  did  efficient  service 
on  many  other  occasions,  notably  with  the  wreck  of 
the  Turkish  warship  Ertogul  in  1890,  and  after  the 
great  earthquake  in  1891,  it  succored  many  hun- 
dreds of  injured. 

In  connection  with  the  Society  there  is  a  large 
and  influential  body  called  "The  Lady  Volunteer 
Nursing  Association."  It  was  founded  in  Tokio  by 
princesses  and  the  wives  and  daughters  of  nobles 
and  prominent  persons. 

At  the  period  of  the  famine  in  the  northern  prov- 
inces, the  Japanese  Red  Cross  was  very  thoroughly 
organized  and  equipped  in  all  its  branches  and  in  a 
position  to  render  the  very  best  service  to  the  suffer- 
ing people.  Its  President  was  Count  Matsakata,  one 
of  the  elder  statesmen,  who  had  twice  been  Prime  Min- 
ister and  several  times  Minister  of  Finance.  The  Vice- 
Presidents  were  Baron  Hanabusa  and  Baron  Ozawa. 

With  such  an  efficient  body  cooperating  with  the 
missionaries  and  other  agencies,  the  American  people 
rightly  felt  that  the  relief  which  they  contributed 
would  be  well  and  speedily  applied.  Dr.  Klopsch 
had  the  same  feeling.  Early  in  March,  he  had 
cabled  $20,000  to  the  Japanese  Red  Cross  for  the 
famine  and  received  immediate  thanks  from  Count 
Matsakata.  This  money  was  spent  in  the  purchase 
of  food,  which  was  immediately  forwarded  to  the 
field  for  the  relief  of  the  neediest  cases. 

More  aid  was  rushed  for  emergency  purposes, 
both  to  the  Japanese  Red  Cross  and  direct  to  the 
Missionary  Relief  Committee  at  Sendai. 


IN  A  JAPANESE  PEASANT  HOME 


THE  POOR  QUARTERS  OF  A  JAPANESE   PEASANT  FAMILY 


SYMPATHY  WITH  THE  NEW  JAPAN  209 

In  one  week  The  Christian  Herald  cabled  through 
the  State  Department  $50,000.  Mr.  Eki  Hioki,  the 
Charge  d' Affaires  at  the  Japanese  Legation  in  Wash- 
ington, received  official  dispatches  from  the  Govern- 
ment at  Tokio  saying  that  the  money  sent  from 
America  had  been  received  and  sent  to  the  different 
centers  in  the  famine  district  and  there  expended 
for  food. 

So  spontaneous  and  liberal  were  the  contributions 
through  The  Christian  Herald  that  President  Roose^ 
velt  sent  a  special  telegram  of  commendation  to  Dr. 
Klopsch  as  follows: 

"THE  WHITE  HOUSE, 
WASHINGTON,  March  21,  1906. 
"MR.  Louis  KLOPSCH, 

The  Christian  Herald,  New  York,  N.  Y. 
"  Let  me  heartily  thank  you,  and  through  you  The 
Christian  Herald,  for  the  admirable  work  done  in 
connection  with  the  famine  sufferers  in  Japan.  You 
have  raised  $100,000,  and  you  have  rendered  a  very 
real  service  to  humanity  and  to  the  cause  of  inter- 
national good- will. 

"(Signed)    THEODORE  ROOSEVELT." 

Dr.  Klopsch  sent  the  following  reply: 

"NEW  YORK,  March  21,  1906. 
"To  His  EXCELLENCY,  THE  PRESIDENT. 

"Dear  Mr.  President:  It  was  a  very  gracious  act 
to  wire  me  your  personal  appreciation  of  The  Chris- 
tian Herald  work  for  the  Japan  famine  sufferers ;  and 
for  our  readers,  our  staff,  and  myself  I  thank  you 
most  sincerely,  and  beg  to  assure  you  that  your 
very  generous  message  will  stimulate  us  all  to  greater 
achievement. 

"(Signed)     Louis  KLOPSCH." 


210  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

Slowly  hope  dawned  over  the  suffering  provinces. 
The  Japanese  Government,  besides  doing  all  it  could 
for  the  relief  of  those  actually  suffering,  had  shown 
proper  foresight  for  the  future,  and  had  distributed 
seed  for  planting  the  next  season's  rice  crop.  In 
April  a  cablegram  came  to  Dr.  Klopsch,  from  Rev. 
C.  S.  Davison,  the  Secretary  of  the  Missionary  Com- 
mittee at  Sendai,  saying  that  while  half  a  million 
were  still  receiving  aid,  the  prospects  were  better 
owing  to  public  works  and  warmer  weather.  The 
Missionary  Committee  had  made  four  distributions 
of  relief,  one  being  exclusively  with  contributions 
received  through  The  Christian  Herald.  It  planned 
to  close  the  work  by  the  end  of  May. 

The  State  Department  in  Washington  received 
from  Hon.  Huntington  Wilson,  the  American  Charge 
d?  Affaires  at  Tokio,  an  official  report  that  the  crisis 
was  over.  In  his  letter  he  said: 

"The  Government  estimated  the  number  of  people 
in  need  on  March  8  to  be  700,000.  A  gentleman 
who  had  been  investigating  the  situation  on  the  spot 
estimated  at  the  same  date  that  some  900,000  were 
in  more  or  less  distress,  and  that  of  these  about 
500,000  were  really  suffering,  and  some  250,000  in 
vital  need  and  now  receiving  assistance.  The  fam- 
ine had  now  reached,  and  probably  passed,  its  worst 
stage.  The  means  of  relief  are  improved.  The 
severe  winter  is  now  breaking  up,  which  will,  with 
the  melting  of  the  snow,  improve  the  means  of 
communication  and  make  more  out-of-door  work 
possible.  As  the  spring  and  summer  advance,  there 
will  be  work  in  planting  for  land-owners,  tending 


SYMPATHY  WITH  THE  NEW  JAPAN  211 

silk  worms,  picking  mulberry  leaves,  etc.  For  these 
reasons  the  suffering  should  now  steadily  decrease. 
A  measure  of  relief  will  be  needed,  however,  until 
the  autumn,  when  the  local  rice  crop  is  harvested. 
Perhaps  by  the  middle  of  June  the  number  of  those 
who  must  be  given  food  will  be  reduced  by  about 
one-half,  and  so  gradually  fall  off. 

"Americans  may  well  feel  pride  in  the  splendid 
work  done  by  the  Foreign  Committee  at  Sendai,  of 
which  the  great  majority,  Dr.  De  Forest,  Mr.  W.  E. 
Lampe,  The  Rev.  C.  S.  Davison,  Mr.  M.  B.  Madden, 
and  William  Axling,  are  citizens  of  the  United  States. 
The  work  of  these  men,  and  the  donations  from  the 
United  States,  collected  by  The  Christian  Herald,  and 
through  the  Red  Cross  Society,  are  like  the  Presi- 
dent's humanitarian  appeal,  highly  appreciated  in 
Japan." 

An  official  report  of  the  Interior  Department  of 
the  Japanese  Government  gave  in  detail  the  relief 
work  in  operation,  which  showed  that  the  Govern- 
ment had  made  sufficient  provision  for  all  emer- 
gencies during  the  coming  summer,  the  object  in 
view  being  to  carry  over  the  sufferers  until  the  next 
harvest. 

When  the  violence  of  the  famine  abated,  the  usual 
orphan  problem,  which  seems  to  be  inseparable  from 
such  calamities,  presented  itself.  One  of  the  mis- 
sionaries, the  Rev.  J.  H.  Pettee,  sent  Dr.  Klopsch 
a  vivid  description  of  the  care  that  was  taken  to 
properly  provide  for  the  waifs.  Some  of  them 
were  brought  six  hundred  miles. 

The  Missionary  Committee,  of  which  Dr.  W.  E. 


212  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

Lampe  was  Chairman,  gathered  the  orphans  together 
and  placed  them  in  two  large  orphanages  at  Sendai 
and  Okayama,  some  twelve  hundred  in  all.  The  last 
contribution  from  the  United  States  to  the  famine- 
stricken  people  was  divided,  according  to  the  de- 
cision of  the  official  committee,  among  the  orphan 
asylums  which  were  especially  caring  for  the  orphans 
from  the  famine  districts. 

Dr.  Klopsch,  in  dealing  with  the  Japanese  orphan- 
ages, decided  to  operate  on  the  same  principles  that 
he  had  found  so  successful  in  India,  that  is,  finding 
American  patrons  for  individual  orphans.  At  the 
time  of  his  death  there  were  386  orphans  in  the  care 
of  two  orphanages,  for  which  individual  support  is 
sent  regularly  every  three  months  in  advance,  the 
patrons  making  their  remittances  through  The  Chris- 
tian Herald.  It  was  a  remarkable  instance  of  the 
interest  taken  that  in  connection  with  this  Japanese 
relief  work  there  had  been  more  volunteer  offers  of 
individual  support  than  there  had  been  orphans  to 
be  maintained.  Dr.  Klopsch's  experience  with  the 
India  and  China  orphanages  gave  assurance  that  the 
patron's  pledges  for  Japan  orphans'  support  would 
be  faithfully  kept. 

In  July  Dr.  Klopsch  presented  the  audited  state- 
ment of  the  Japanese  famine  fund  under  the  auspices 
of  The  Christian  Herald.  The  total  disbursements 
amounted  to  $241,822.80. 

The  gratitude  of  the  Japanese  people,  and  of  the 
Japanese  Government,  was  shown  in  many  ways. 
Late  in  July,  Viscount  Aoki,  Japanese  Ambassador 
in  Washington,  sent  the  following  letter: 


SYMPATHY  WITH  THE  NEW  JAPAN 


213 


JAPANESE  EMBASSY, 
WASHINGTON,  July  26,  1906. 

Sra:  Upon  the  request  of  the  three  Governors  of  Mizagi, 
Iwate  and  Fukushima,  Japan,  I  beg  to  transmit  to  you  the 
enclosed  letter,  in  which  they  jointly  express  their  sincere  thanks 
for  the  collection  you  have  made  for  the  relief  of  the  famine- 
stricken  people  of  those  three  provinces. 

In  thus  carrying  out  the  request  of  the  three  Governors,  I 
have  the  honor  to  express  my  own  appreciation  of  your  humane 
and  fraternal  action  and  to  ask  that  you  will  be  good  enough 
to  make  a  public  announcement  of  .the  grateful  thanks  of  my 
countrymen  and  of  myself  for  the  material  aid  which  was  so 
generously  and  so  cheerfully  given  by  the  high-minded  people 
of  the  United  States  for  the  relief  of  the  unfortunate  sufferers  of 
northern  Japan.  I  am,  sir, 

Very  respectfully  yours, 
To  DR.  Louis  KLOPSCH,  (SiSned)     VISCOUNT  S.  Aon. 

Editor  of  The  Christian  Herald,  New  York. 

A  facsimile  of  the  letter  from  the  three  governors, 
with  the  translation  in  English,  is  reproduced  below. 


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214  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

(TRANSLATION) 

June  8th,  1906. 
To  the  Editor  and  Proprietor  of  " The  Christian  Herald" 

SIR  :  We  beg  to  gratefully  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your 
earlier  contribution  of  170,854.27  yen,1  from  the  first  to  the 
third  remittance,  inclusive,  and  of  your  three  later  remit- 
tances made  through  the  American  Red  Cross,  amounting  to 
110,552.77  yen,  which  two  sums  were  duly  transmitted  to  us 
by  our  central  government,  through  the  medium  of  the  Red 
Cross  Society  of  Japan,  to  be  expended  for  the  relief  of  the 
famine  sufferers  of  our  three  provinces. 

We  join  in  expressing  to  you,  and,  through  you,  to  those 
sympathizers  who  responded  to  your  philanthropic  appeal, 
our  profound  appreciation,  and  that  of  the  people  of  our 
provinces,  for  the  deep  sympathy  and  cordial  good-will  so 
generously  manifested  for  our  unfortunate  sufferers  from  nat- 
ural calamity.  We  beg  to  assure  you  that  we  will  unite  our 
best  efforts  in  making  prompt  distribution  of  your  donations 
among  the  needy  sufferers  and  in  seeing  the  noble  purpose 
you  have  in  view  carried  out  satisfactorily. 

Respectfully, 

(Seal)          Y.  KAEMI,  Governor  of  the  Province  of  Miyagi. 
(Seal)          N.  OSHIKA.WA,  Governor  of  the  Province  of  Iwate. 
(Seal)          Y.  ARITA,  Governor  of  the  Province  of  Fukushima. 

The  Director  of  the  Japanese  Red  Cross,  in  a 
letter  to  Dr.  Klopsch,  also  expressed  the  appreciation 
of  that  Society  for  the  relief  that  had  been  extended, 
and  gave  details  regarding  their  distribution.  He 
said  that  the  sufferers  expressed  their  appreciation 
and  gratitude  with  tears  in  their  eyes  for  all  the  kind- 
ness shown  them  by  the  contributors  to  the  fund. 

How  deep  the  sentiment  of  gratitude  was,  appeared 
months  after  the  famine  was  over.  In  February, 

1 A  yen  is  49  cents. 


SYMPATHY  WITH  THE  NEW  JAPAN  215 

1907,  Minister  Aoki  wrote  Dr.  Klopsch  from  Wash- 
ington recalling  the  pleasure  he  had  had  in  July, 
1906,  in  enclosing  a  letter  in  which  the  three  govern- 
ors jointly  expressed  their  sincere  thanks.  He  added 
that  he  was  now  requested  by  His  Majesty's  Minister 
of  State  to  transmit  a  letter  in  which  Viscount 
Hayashi,  speaking  in  behalf  of  himself  and  of  his 
colleagues  of  home  affairs,  expressed  to  Dr.  Klopsch 
their  sincere  thanks  for  the  generous  contribution 
of  the  people  of  the  United  States  who  so  willingly 
responded  to  the  call  for  relief  of  the  distress  caused 
by  the  famine. 

The  letter  from  Viscount  Hayashi,  after  reciting 
the  contributions  and  the  action  taken  with  regard 
to  the  remittances,  closed  by  saying: 

I  have  much  pleasure  in  assuring  you  that  the  sympathy 
thus  shown  by  the  American  people  was  a  source  of  great  con- 
solation, no  less  than  of  material  help  and  comfort  to  the 
inhabitants  of  the  stricken  districts,  who  were  at  the  time  in 
great  distress. 

The  Japanese  Government  did  not  stop  with  these 
acknowledgments.  A  little  later  Baron  Takew 
Ozawa,  one  of  the  Vice-Presidents  of  the  Japanese 
Red  Cross  Society,  came  to  the  United  States  on  a 
special  mission.  It  was  to  decorate  Dr.  Klopsch, 
who  had  been  created  a  special  member  of  the 
Society,  with  the  Order  of  the  Rising  Sun.  Baron 
Ozawa  was  an  honored  guest  of  the  Periodical  Pub- 
lishers Association  at  their  banquet  in  Albany.  On 
that  occasion,  in  addressing  the  guests,  he  said  among 
other  things,  speaking  of  himself  and  his  associates: 


216  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

"Our  mission  is,  briefly,  first,  to  decorate  Dr. 
Louis  Klopsch  with  the  Order  of  the  Rising  Sun, 
for  his  kindness  and  sympathy." 

The  presentation  of  the  Order  was  made  in  the 
office  of  The  Christian  Herald  in  New  York.  The  date 
was  May  15,  1907.  There  were  present  on  the  occa- 
sion, besides  Baron  Ozawa,  his  secretary  and  inter- 
preter, Mr.  Masatake  S.  Togo,  and  the  editors  and 
heads  of  the  various  departments  of  The  Christian 
Herald.  Thus  spoke  Baron  Ozawa: 

"In  the  name  of  my  Imperial  Sovereign,  the 
Emperor  of  Japan,  and  of  Her  Imperial  Majesty, 
the  Empress,  I  am  commissioned  to  convey  to  Dr. 
Louis  Klopsch  their  royal  acknowledgments  for  all 
the  kindness  and  generous  aid  which  you  and  The 
Christian  Herald,  its  editors  and  its  readers,  have 
extended  to  the  people  of  our  country  during  the 
late  famine.  Furthermore,  as  a  token  of  His  Imperial 
Majesty's  regard,  he  has  personally  directed  me  to 
invest  you  with  this  decoration  of  the  Order  of  the 
Rising  Sun,  a  duty  which  I  take  pleasure  in  perform- 
ing in  obedience  to  His  Majesty's  command." 

Dr.  Klopsch,  after  receiving  the  decoration,  said, 
in  substance,  that  the  honor,  which  had  come  so 
unexpectedly,  was  one  which  he  accepted  in  the 
name  of  the  hundreds  of  thousands  of  contributors 
whose  Christian  generosity  had  made  the  relief  work 
in  Japan  so  successful.  He  desired  Baron  Ozawa  to 
convey  to  their  Majesties,  the  Emperor  and  Empress, 
his  sincere  acknowledgment.  He  referred  to  the  uni- 
versal sympathy  which  had  prevailed  in  this  country 
for  the  unfortunate  Japanese  peasants  during  the 


SYMPATHY  WITH  THE  NEW  JAPAN  217 

period  of  famine,  and  to  the  fact  that  then,  as  on 
various  other  occasions  of  a  similar  character,  the 
generous-hearted  people  had  chosen  his  journal  as 
a  channel  for  their  benevolence.  "Our  nation,  as  a 
whole,"  he  said,  "entertains  feelings  of  the  warmest 
admiration  and  friendship  for  the  people  of  Japan." 

The  Order  of  the  Rising  Sun  has  an  interesting 
origin.  There  are  four  orders  of  distinction  in  Japan, 
the  two  most  important  being  the  Order  of  the  Rising 
Sun  and  the  Order  of  the  Chrysanthemum.  The 
orders  were  all  founded  at  about  the  same  time,  at 
the  beginning  of  the  reign  of  the  present  Emperor. 
The  Rising  Sun  was  first  conferred  in  1875.  The 
decoration  has  engraved,  in  Japanese  characters  on 
the  back,  the  words,  "for  merit." 

The  Order  is  given  to  Japanese  or  foreigners  who 
have  rendered  great  service  to  the  Emperor  or  the 
Empire.  It  is  much  coveted.  It  holds  the  same 
place  in  Japan  that  the  various  orders  of  knighthood 
hold  in  European  countries.  The  badge  is  made  to 
represent  the  Rising  Sun  of  Japan.  There  is  a  center 
disk  of  crimson,  and  from  this  radiates  the  golden 
rising  of  the  sun.  The  spaces  between  are  in  white 
enamel.  The  decoration  is  suspended  from  a  white 
ribbon,  edged  with  crimson.  It  is  worn  on  the  left 
breast  on  occasions  of  ceremony.  At  other  times  a 
little  button  of  crimson  silk  is  worn  in  the  button- 
hole of  the  lapel  of  the  coat,  serving  as  a  recog- 
nition button. 

Previous  to  this  decoration  Count  Matsuyata, 
President  of  the  Japanese  Red  Cross,  had  forwarded 
Dr.  Klopsch,  "as  a  token  of  our  high  appreciation 


218  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

for  the  kindness  and  sympathy  you  have  shown  to 
our  country  in  many  different  ways  and  in  com- 
memoration of  the  Red  Cross  work  of  the  Society 
as  well, "  a  medal  struck  with  copper  articles  actually 
employed  by  both  belligerents  in  the  severe  battles 
of  Port  Arthur  and  Mukden. 

A  further  effort  of  the  Japanese  Government  and 
people  to  show  their  appreciation  was  made  in  1908, 
when  Mr.  T.  J.  O'Brien,  the  American  Ambassador 
at  Tokio,  communicated  the  request  of  the  Govern- 
ment that  it  be  furnished  with  the  names  of  the 
individual  contributors  to  the  famine  fund  so  that 
it  might  send  to  each  one  its  individual  acknowl- 
edgments. Since  there  were  more  than  85,000  of 
these  contributors,  it  was  impracticable  to  carry  out 
this  graceful  idea,  and  a  general  acknowledgment  was 
again  made  through  The  Christian  Herald  to  the 
contributors  as  a  body. 


CHAPTER   XIII 

FAIR  ITALY'S  APPALLING  CALAMITY 

HISTORIC  VOLCANIC  ERUPTIONS  —  THE  TERRIFYING  CHRISTMAS  WEEK  OF  1908  — 
BEAUTIFUL  MESSINA'S  DESTRUCTION  BY  EARTHQUAKE  —  THE  TIDAL  WAVE  — 

NEIGHBORING  TOWNS  WIPED  OUT THE  "CHRISTIAN  HERALD"  CABLES  AID 

FOR  THE  SURVIVORS REV.  DR.  CARTER  COMMISSIONED  TO  VISIT  THE  SCENES 

OF   SORROW THRILLING  STORY  OF  WHAT  HE  SAW  —  REGGIO  AND  THE 

SICILIAN  COAST "MOTHER  AND  CHILD  CHARITY"  PROPOSED  BY  DR.  KLOPSCH 

HEROIC   QUEEN  HELENA'S  AID  —  ASSISTANCE   GIVEN   THE  WALDENSIAN 

CHRISTIANS VISIT  TO  ITALY  BY  ROYAL  INVITATION AMBASSADOR  GRIS- 

COM'S  COURTESY AUDIENCE  WITH  KING  VICTOR  EMMANUEL  —  DR.  KLOPSCH's 

ACCOUNT  —  APPRECIATIVE  COMMENT. 

ITALY,  the  land  of  story,  has  been  known  in 
history  for    the   destructive  disasters    it    has 
suffered.     Vesuvius  and  Etna  time  and  again 
have   poured   forth   their  fiery   streams   and   over- 
whelmed  towns   and   cities.     Buried   Pompeii   and 
Herculaneum  are  the  record  of  the  fury  of  Vesuvius 
nineteen  hundred  years  ago.     But  all  the  disasters 
have  not  been  due  to  the  volcanic  eruptions.     The 
greatest  of  the  modern  ones,  the  calamity  of  cen- 
turies, was  due  to  an  earthquake. 

After  Christmas  in  1908  the  world  was  startled  by 
the  news  that  a  frightful  earthquake  had  visited 
southern  Italy  on  the  morning  of  December  28, 
changing  the  geographical  outline  of  a  large  part  of 
the  country,  destroying  cities,  towns,  and  villages 
almost  in  an  instant,  and  carrying  down  to  a  sudden 
and  shocking  death  a  great  multitude  of  human 
beings. 

219 


220  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

Italy  is  shaped  much  like  a  boot,  with  its  toe 
placed  against  a  rock.  Calabria,  the  toe  of  the  boot, 
and  the  rock,  the  picturesque  island  of  Sicily,  were 
the  districts  in  which  the  most  appalling  loss  of  life 
occurred.  The  rest  of  the  region,  however,  was 
shaken  with  lighter  tremors,  which  were  felt  as  far 
north  as  the  Italian  Alps.  The  death-dealing  dis- 
turbance had  for  its  center  the  Straits  of  Messina, 
lying  between  Calabria  on  the  mainland  and  Sicily. 
Three  great  volcanoes,  Etna,  Vesuvius,  and  Strom- 
boli,were  within  the  area  of  the  shock.  Many  times 
in  previous  years  severe  earthquakes  had  visited 
this  ill-fated  region,  but  all  of  these  experiences  were 
utterly  eclipsed  by  the  mighty  spasm  which  blotted 
the  beautiful  Calabrian  city  Reggio  out  of  existence 
and  laid  in  ruins  various  smaller  towns  on  the  main- 
land, as  well  as  the  cities  of  Messina,  Catania,  and 
other  towns  in  Sicily. 

The  earthquake  shocks  began  about  hah6  past  five 
on  the  morning  of  December  28,  while  the  people 
were  asleep,  and  lasted  about  thirty  seconds.  Sub- 
sequent shocks,  which  came  in  rapid  succession, 
were  a  few  seconds  longer  in  duration.  The  whole 
of  the  Straits  of  Messina  were  convulsed.  The  sea 
became  greatly  agitated.  Suddenly  a  huge  tidal 
wave  swept  through  the  Straits,  carrying  everything 
before  it,  tossing  ships  as  though  they  were  of  paper, 
tearing  big  vessels  from  their  anchorage,  and  fill- 
ing the  water  with  wreckage.  This  monster  wave, 
accompanied  by  a  roaring  and  terrifying  sound,  swept 
inland  doing  tremendous  damage  and  adding  heavily 
to  the  list  of  mortalities  inflicted  by  the  earthquake. 


c 


FAIR  ITALY'S  APPALLING  CALAMITY  221 

Soon  the  ruins  of  the  crumbling  towns  caught  fire 
and  columns  of  smoke  arose  in  all  directions. 

The  first  accounts  which  reached  the  outside 
world  came  from  the  terror-stricken  refugees  who 
fled  from  Messina.  They  told  how  in  their  beautiful 
city  when  the  first  shock  came  the  earth  seemed  to 
rise  for  a  moment  and  then  to  fall  away.  The  fronts 
of  the  houses  along  entire  streets  fell  forward  to  the 
roadway,  as  if  dashed  down  by  unseen  hands,  and 
the  people  were  precipitated  to  the  lower  floors,  and 
in  some  instances  clear  to  the  streets.  In  an  instant 
the  city  was  in  an  uproar,  falling  walls,  the  rending 
of  timbers,  the  shrieks  of  the  people,  mingled  in  an 
indescribable  pandemonium.  All  who  could,  made 
their  way  into  the  open.  Some  who  retained  their 
self-possession  tried  to  rescue  their  families,  but  be- 
fore anything  could  be  done,  other  shocks  followed, 
and  the  weakened  walls  that  were  still  standing  fell 
in  on  the  people  below,  the  grinding  of  brick  and 
stone,  as  it  rushed  downward  to  earth,  making  a 
deafening  roar,  which  drowned  out  for  a  moment 
the  cries  and  shrieks  of  the  people.  The  crowds, 
barefooted  and  in  their  night  clothes,  ran  hither  and 
thither,  as  cries  of  warning  and  of  appeal  echoed, 
first  from  one  quarter  and  then  another.  The  sky 
seemed  black  as  ink,  and  rain  and  sleet  beat  down 
upon  the  ruined  city,  but  while  it  added  to  the 
distress  of  the  hapless  people,  it  was  insufficient  to 
extinguish  the  flames  which  began  to  burst  out  of 
many  ruins  and  soon  laid  a  large  area  in  ashes. 

Amid  the  horror  of  it  all,  many  went  stark  mad 
and  ran  shrieking  from  street  to  street  until  they  fell 


222  LIFE-WORK  OP  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

exhausted  among  the  heaps  of  dead,  or  escaped  to  the 
country,  where  they  were  found.  Searching  parties 
described  them  wandering  about  unable  to  tell  who 
they  were  or  where  they  had  lived. 

In  the  lower  part  of  Messina  the  tidal  wave  rose 
soon  after  the  quake  and  caused  the  loss  of  thou- 
sands. In  the  straits  the  water  rose  like  a  wall  to 
the  height  of  eight  and  nine  feet,  and  then  swept 
shoreward  to  fill  in  the  depression  caused  by  the  sub- 
sistence of  the  coast  land.  The  fishing  boats  dis- 
appeared in  the  wild  waters.  The  large  ships  in  the 
harbor  were  hurled  against  one  another,  the  smaller 
going  to  the  bottom  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye. 
Others  were  dashed  against  the  quays,  and  both  ships 
and  docks  were  reduced  to  unrecognizable  beams  of 
twisted  iron  and  timber.  And  on  went  the  wave, 
apparently  gaining  strength  as  it  rushed  up  into  the 
town  for  a  thousand  feet.  At  no  point  was  it  lower 
than  a  man's  arm-pits,  and  hundreds  were  drowned. 

The  receding  waters  carried  out  to  sea  masts, 
broken  hulls,  boats  turned  bottom  up,  and  the 
lighter  parts  of  houses  which  it  had  gathered  in  its 
sweep  into  the  city.  One  survivor  said  he  saw  the 
water  strike  the  cathedral  and  pass  over  its  roof. 
The  ferry-boat  from  Messina  was  half-way  across 
to  Reggio  when  the  waters  opened  and  the  boat 
went  down  until  the  officers  were  sure  it  touched 
bottom,  then  it  seemed  lifted  mountain  high,  to  be 
again  dashed  downward.  It  escaped  being  wrecked 
and  at  last  reached  the  spot  where  Reggio  had 
stood,  but  where  now  was  only  a  heap  of  rubbish, 
in  which  lay  the  bodies  of  thousands  of  victims. 


FAIR  ITALY'S  APPALLING  CALAMITY  223 

Such  were  the  first  accounts  received.  Then  came 
estimates  that  25,000  people  had  lost  their  lives. 
Soon  the  figures  were  placed  at  50,000,  then  at 
100,000,  and  finally  it  was  known  that  200,000 
human  beings  had  perished  on  that  awful  morning. 
The  mind  could  not  grasp  the  horror  of  this  instant 
destruction  of  life.  It  was  too  stupendous. 

Yet  there  were  survivors,  many  thousands  of  them, 
and  these  must  have  instant  relief.  The  day  after 
the  news  came,  Dr.  Klopsch  sent  this  cable  message 
to  the  American  Ambassador  at  Rome: 

"GRISCOM,  MINISTER,  ROME. 

"  Christian  Herald  advances  by  cable  through  State 
Department   $20,000   for  relief  with  deepest   sym- 
pathy for  King  and  stricken  people.     More  to  follow. 
"(Signed)     Louis  KLOPSCH." 

Announcements  of  this  gift  were  also  telegraphed 
to  King  Victor  Emmanuel,  to  the  Italian  Ambassador 
in  Washington,  and  to  Hon.  William  H.  Taft,  as 
President  of  the  American  Red  Cross.  In  the  fol- 
lowing issue  of  The  Christian  Herald  was  an  editorial, 
which  said: 

"Sicily,  where  Garibaldi  celebrated  his  greatest 
triumphs  that  ultimately  resulted  in  the  present 
United  Kingdom  of  Italy;  Sicily,  the  land  of  bright 
sunshine,  lovely  flowers  and  luscious  fruit,  the  land 
of  perennial  summer,  has  been  stricken  and  laid  low. 
Several  of  her  chief  cities  and  many  of  her  populous 
and  prosperous  towns  and  villages  have  been  wiped 
from  off  the  face  of  the  earth.  Two  hundred  thou- 
sand of  her  people  have  perished,  and  2,000,000 
have  been  utterly  impoverished.  They  are  in  fearful 


224  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

straits.  They  don't  speak  English,  hence  they  can- 
not plead  understandingly  with  us  for  themselves. 
But  I  can,  and  will  plead  for  them,  and  I  know  I 
shall  not  plead  in  vain." 

Generously  the  American  people  responded  to  the 
call  for  help.  Dr.  Klopsch,  knowing  from  past  ex- 
perience what  could  be  expected  from  the  gener- 
osity of  his  readers,  telegraphed  in  their  behalf 
$30,000  to  the  State  Department  additional  to  the 
original  $20,000  which  was  sent  within  twenty-four 
hours  after  the  disaster  occurred.  This  made  a  total 
of  $50,000  advanced  personally  by  Dr.  Klopsch 
in  anticipation  of  contributions.  Assistant  Secretary 
of  State  Bacon  at  once  cabled  the  money  to  Italy. 
That  brilliant  woman,  Miss  Mabel  Boardman,  of  the 
Red  Cross,  who  had  cooperated  with  Dr.  Klopsch 
in  many  of  his  efforts,  aided  most  effectively  in  the 
Italian  relief. 

Ambassador  Griscom,  who  was  doing  everything 
possible  to  advance  the  relief  work  and  fitting  out  a 
ship  with  supplies  at  Naples,  was  greatly  hampered 
by  the  lack  of  funds;  but  The  Christian  Herald 
check,  together  with  the  money  collected  and  for- 
warded by  the  Red  Cross,  made  the  charter  of  a 
vessel  possible.  The  steamer  Bayern,  lying  at  Genoa, 
was  secured,  and  a  cargo  of  food  was  at  once  rushed 
on  board.  Doctors  and  volunteer  nurses  offered 
their  services,  which  were  gladly  accepted.  The 
ship  cruised  along  the  Sicilian  and  Calabrian  coasts, 
and  Ambassador  Griscom  went  with  the  steamer 
and  remained  several  days,  while  Mrs.  Griscom 
worked  unceasingly  as  chairman  of  a  committee  of 


RESCUING  A  VICTIM  OF  THE  ITALIAN  EARTHQUAKE 


HOUSEKEEPING  IN  THE  STREETS  AND  PARKS 


FAIR  ITALY'S  APPALLING  CALAMITY  225 

American  women  in  Rome  to  provide  supplies  of 
clothing  for  the  victims  of  the  catastrophe. 

The  Christian  Herald  arranged  to  have  its  special 
correspondent  in  the  devastated  district  in  the  person 
of  the  Rev.  William  Carter,  of  the  Madison  Avenue 
Reformed  Church  in  New  York  City.  He  was  in 
Switzerland  when  the  earthquake  occurred,  but  on 
receiving  his  commission  to  go  to  the  earthquake 
zone  as  its  representative,  he  started  at  once  for 
Messina.  Graphic  accounts  of  the  scenes  of  suffer- 
ing were  received  from  Mr.  Carter.  From  Messina 
he  wrote: 

"Never  in  the  world's  history  has  there  been  a 
greater  calamity  than  this,  never  indeed  one  so 
great.  Pompeii,  Herculaneum,  Lisbon,  Martinique 
and  San  Francisco,  with  all  their  horrors,  seem  puny 
beside  this  tremendous  devastation  and  its  awful 
slaughter.  Lisbon,  the  largest  of  the  earth's  catas- 
trophes until  now,  with  its  50,000  victims,  is  just 
about  one-fourth  as  appalling  as  this  cataclysm  with 
over  200,000  victims  in  more  than  a  hundred  cities, 
towns  and  villages.  From  Palmi,  on  the  north,  to 
Melito  on  the  south  of  the  Calabrian  coast,  and  from 
Messina  on  the  north,  to  Nizza  on  the  south  of  the 
Sicilian  border,  the  earth  was  shaken  to  its  very 
center,  and  the  work  of  centuries  overthrown  in  a 
moment  of  time. 

"That  a  city  of  150,000  people,  like  Messina,  could 
be  wiped  out  in  a  single  quake  of  the  earth's  crust 
seemed  impossible,  unless  the  earth  should  open 
as  a  gigantic  mouth  and  swallow  it  completely.  I 
therefore  came  to  Messina  with  the  feeling  that  I 


226  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

should  not  find  things  as  bad  as  chronicled,  and 
that  my  work  in  writing  about  it  would  be  rather 
corrective  than  otherwise. 

"My  first  view  of  the  city,  however,  dispelled  all 
such  thoughts.  From  the  deck  of  the  steamer  in 
which  I  entered  the  harbor,  I  found  pile  after  pile 
of  awful  ruins,  and  as  far  as  I  could  see  there  appeared 
no  end.  Nowhere,  and  I  say  it  carefully,  nowhere  in 
Messina  did  I  see  a  habitable  dwelling.  Every  house, 
every  store,  every  building  of  every  kind  was  either 
lying  in  a  heap  of  dust  and  debris,  or,  if  the  outer 
walls  were  still  standing,  the  roof  and  inner  walls 
had  fallen  in  on  their  helpless  inmates. 

"We  only  get  an  appreciation  of  facts  by  some 
unitive  measure,  some  standard  or  gauge  well  known 
to  all.  To  hear  that  a  coast  town  in  Sicily  has  been 
overwhelmed  only  gives  to  the  average  man  in 
America  the  idea  that  an  insignificant  town  of  mean 
huts  and  dwellings  has  been  destroyed.  Here,  how- 
ever, was  a  city  larger  than  Denver,  Columbus  or 
Toledo,  with  municipal  buildings,  palaces,  mansions 
and  public  improvements  as  great,  if  not  greater, 
than  any  of  those  mentioned.  It  is  no  mean  city, 
therefore,  on  which  this  scourge  has  fallen,  but  one 
of  such  pretentious  as  rightly  rank  her  among  the 
world's  commercial  centers.  In  1904,  the  last  exact 
statistics  available,  7,703  vessels,  carrying  486,000 
tons  of  merchandise,  cleared  from  her  harbor,  and 
with  her  famous  oranges  named  after  her,  Messina 
supplied  the  world. 

"Alas,  what  a  change  is  there  now!  In  a  moment 
of  time  108,000  of  her  citizens  were  carried  down  to 


FAIR  ITALY'S  APPALLING  CALAMITY  227 

death,  all  of  her  commercial  houses  were  overthrown, 
her  magnificent  docks  destroyed,  and  the  homes  of 
her  people  made  into  dust  heaps  and  charnel-houses." 

In  another  letter,  Dr.  Carter  described  the  work 
of  relief,  and  especially  of  the  Bayern.  For  Am- 
bassador Griscom,  Capt.  Belknap,  the  American 
Naval  Attache,  and  Major  Landis,  the  Military 
Attache,  everybody  had  words  of  praise.  He  also 
wrote  of  the  brave  efforts  of  the  King  and  Queen 
Helena. 

Dr.  Carter  was  at  the  ruins  of  the  American 
Consulate  when  the  remains  of  the  Consul,  Mr. 
Cheney,  and  his  wife  were  recovered  after  nineteen 
days  search  under  the  direction  of  Vice-Consul  Lup- 
ton.  There  was  no  struggle  manifest,  no  contortion. 
The  only  thing  that  indicated  any  consciousness  was 
the  sheet  convulsively  grasped  in  the  Consul's  hand. 
It  was  apparently  a  first  convulsive  horror,  and  then 
a  merciful  death  that  must  have  followed  instan- 
taneously. Tenderly  the  bodies  of  the  dead  Consul 
and  his  wife  were  lifted  out  and  placed  on  stretchers 
near  at  hand,  and  then  carried  down  a  heap  of  ruins 
to  the  ground  below,  where  two  caskets  were  awaiting 
them,  and  there  the  soldiers  gently  placed  them  and 
sealed  the  inner  leaden  casket  and  screwed  down 
the  cover  of  the  outer  one,  and  bore  them  to  the  boat 
that  was  to  take  them  to  their  last  resting  place. 

Describing  other  incidents  of  his  work  for  The 
Christian  Herald,  Dr.  Carter  wrote : 

"  It  was  night  as  I  left  Messina.  I  was  anxious  to 
see  Reggio,  Palmi,  Melito  and  the  rest  of  the  coast, 
and  so  I  had  to  go.  The  captain  of  our  vessel  told 


228  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

me  that  so  violent  was  the  upheaval  in  the  straits 
themselves  that  places  which  before  were  2,400  feet 
and  more  in  depth  are  now  300  feet  or  less.  Cer- 
tain it  is  that  the  coast  line  has  been  materially 
changed,  and  from  the  soundings,  the  conformation 
of  the  ocean  bed  also. 

"As  we  near  Palmi,  we  see  three  Italian  war  ves- 
sels lying  at  anchor  in  the  harbor  distributing  sup- 
plies, as  well  as  rescuing  the  sufferers.  The  ruins 
don't  look  as  bad  here  as  at  Messina,  but  what  a 
sight  it  is  after  all!  Of  a  little  over  10,000  inhabi- 
tants, 4,500  lie  under  those  piled  up  heaps  of  ruins. 
In  that  little  town  3,700  victims  were  carried  down 
to  death  in  a  moment.  It  was  here  and  at  Scylla 
and  Messina  that  the  tidal  wave  did  its  worst. 

"As  we  draw  near  to  Reggio,  we  see  a  sight 
even  more  appalling  to  the  eye  than  Messina  at 
first  glance.  Out  of  35,000,  31,000  were  lost.  Yet 
strange  to  say,  Reggio  is  today  more  habitable  than 
Messina.  We  see  some  shops  open  and  doing  busi- 
ness still;  in  Messina,  not  a  single  shop  is  open  save 
those  opened  in  the  streets,  on  rough  boards,  for 
the  distribution  of  supplies.  Here  some  people  can 
still  live  in  parts  of  their  homes. 

"Just  a  little  south  lies  Palerro  on  the  coast. 
Palerro  was  small,  just  a  distant  suburb  indeed  of 
Reggio,  seven  miles  away.  But  notwithstanding  its 
smallness,  3,300  dead  lie  in  the  ruins  of  that  once 
thriving  place.  So  it  is  all  down  the  coast  as  far 
as  Melito.  Seismographic  waves  are  not  stopped 
by  curves  or  angles.  Like  an  express  train  rounding 
a  turn  at  lightning  speed,  the  earthquake  wave 


FAIR  ITALY'S  APPALLING  CALAMITY  229 

rounded  the  southern  extremity  of  Italy,  struck 
Melito  a  deadly  blow  and  left  2,300  dead  lying  in 
its  wake. 

"But  why  follow  it  further!  The  sights  and 
scenes  witnessed  are  enough  for  a  life-time.  Cala- 
bria for  eighty-six  miles,  or  from  Palmi  on  the  west 
coast  to  Messina,  to  Gerace  on  the  east  coast,  is  one 
long  line  of  ruins,  with  fifty  towns  or  more  over- 
thrown, while  innumerable  villages  and  hamlets  in 
the  mountains  in  between  them  have  been  partially 
or  totally  destroyed.  On  the  east  coast  of  Sicily, 
from  Messina  to  Nizza,  a  distance  of  seventeen 
miles,  a  score  of  towns  lie  in  dust  heaps,  while  off 
the  coast  and  in  the  mountains  dozens  of  others  are 
gradually  sending  in  their  lists  of  dead. 

"Yes  it  is  truly  awful,  it  is  horrible;  but  God  is 
good,  and  Christian  sympathy  is  not  wanting;  and 
soon  we  shall  see  smiling  fields  amid  these  scenes  of 
desolation,  and  thriving  cities  plying  again  their 
thousand  wheels  of  trade;  for  Messina,  Reggio,  Palmi 
and  all  the  rest  of  these  coast  towns  will  build  again, 
as  they  did  after  the  earthquake  of  1783,  and  work 
out  their  lives  even  in  the  shadow  of  impending 
death." 

Meanwhile,  having  done  their  part  in  the  gen- 
eral relief  work,  where  their  gifts  were  the  means 
of  saving  thousands  of  famishing  and  destitute,  the 
readers  of  The  Christian  Herald  found  providen- 
tially allotted  to  them  the  special  task  of  providing 
shelter,  food,  clothing,  and  medicines  for  the  poor 
Italian  widowed  mothers  and  their  helpless  babies. 
Dr.  Klopsch,  in  a  cable  message  to  the  Italian  Pre- 


230  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

mier,  obtained  the  approval  of  Queen  Helena  to 
establish  a  Mothers'  and  Babies'  Fund,  under  the 
Queen's  own  supervision.  Her  Majesty  personally 
conducted  the  organization  of  this  work,  and  it  was 
quickly  under  way. 

Queen  Helena,  who  made  this  beautiful  "mother 
and  child"  charity  her  own,  had  attracted  the 
attention  of  the  whole  civilized  world  by  her  splen- 
did conduct  during  the  events  immediately  follow- 
ing the  catastrophe.  She  was  by  the  King's  side 
when  he  hastened  in  a  special  train  to  the  scene  of 
the  disaster.  Queen  Helena  was  an  angel  of  mercy. 
It  seemed  as  if  she  were  everywhere  at  the  call  of 
want.  No  sister  of  charity  ever  worked  more  wisely 
or  with  greater  tenderness.  The  peasants  of  Cala- 
bria were  very  loyal  to  their  King  and  Queen,  whose 
pictures  adorned  many  humble  cottage  walls,  but 
thenceforth  Queen  Helena  was  for  them  a  patron 
saint  of  mercy. 

It  is  interesting  to  study  the  steps  by  which  this 
queenly  woman  developed  into  a  character  so  fair 
and  gracious.  Born  a  princess  of  the  little  Balkan 
principality  of  Montenegro,  she  was  one  of  six  daugh- 
ters and  two  sons  who  composed  the  family  of  her 
father,  Nicholas.  Since  Montenegro  is  not  a  rich 
country,  the  children  of  Nicholas  were  trained  in  the 
Spartan  virtues  of  fearlessness  and  economy.  Helena 
from  childhood  was  accustomed  to  the  free  out-door 
life  of  a  mountain  girl,  riding  and  hunting  with  her 
brothers,  and  climbing  with  them  the  steep  hill- 
paths  as  safely  and  swiftly  as  any  village  maiden 
might.  She  and  her  sisters  were  educated  in  St. 


FAIR  ITALY'S  APPALLING  CALAMITY  231 

Petersburg  under  the  direction,  and  at  the  expense, 
of  the  Czar,  Alexander  III,  a  near  kinsman  of  the 
royal  house  of  Montenegro.  Helena  was  married 
October  4,  1896,  to  Victor  Emmanuel,  Prince  of 
Naples  and  heir-apparent  to  the  throne  of  Italy. 
After  the  assassination  of  King  Humbert,  Victor 
Emmanuel  succeeded  to  the  throne,  and  Helena 
took  her  place  among  the  royal  women  of  Europe. 
She  is  a  devoted  wife  and  mother.  Her  children, 
three  girls  and  a  boy,  are  the  objects  of  her  personal 
care. 

Through  the  funds  raised  by  Dr.  Klopsch,  the  sum 
of  $1,000  per  day  was  supplied  to  this  special  benev- 
olence during  the  emergency,  and  was  faithfully 
expended  in  a  way  that  met  with  the  Queen's  ap- 
proval. This  was  one  of  the  most  effective  agencies 
in  the  Italian  work,  and  relieved  much  distress. 

A  special  message  from  the  Italian  Ambassador 
conveyed  Queen  Helena's  thanks  to  Dr.  Klopsch. 
It  was  as  follows: 

ROYAL  ITALIAN  EMBASSY, 
WASHINGTON,  D.  C.,  February  11,  1909. 
DR.  Louis  KLOPSCH, 

Christian  Herald,  New  York. 

On  behalf  of  her  gracious  Majesty,  Queen  Helena,  I  have 
the  pleasure  of  expressing  to  you,  and  through  you  to  The 
Christian  Herald  and  its  readers,  her  Majesty's  warmest  thanks 
for  the  conspicuous  and  generous  contribution  to  her  fund  for 
mothers  and  children  of  the  earthquake-stricken  regions. 

(Signed)     MAYOR  DES  PLANCHES. 

Early  in  the  relief  campaign,  an  appeal  was  made 
to  The  Christian  Herald  in  behalf  of  the  Waldenses, 


232  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

whose  churches  and  people  in  both  Sicily  and  Cala- 
bria had  suffered  greatly  from  the  earthquake.  The 
Waldenses  are  the  descendants  of  the  famous  band 
of  Christians  who  were  bitterly  persecuted  for  their 
faith  in  the  sixteenth  and  seventeenth  centuries,  and 
who  gave  hundreds  of  noble  martyrs  to  the  cause 
of  Christ.  Their  original  home  was  in  the  valley 
of  Piedmont,  but  thriving  despite  persecution,  they 
became,  though  small,  one  of  the  most  energetic  and 
devoted  Protestant  missionary  churches  the  world 
has  known. 

In  the  section  of  southern  Italy  devastated,  the 
Waldensians  had  forty-five  churches,  some  in  sea- 
coast  towns  and  others  in  remote  villages  in  the 
interior.  Hundreds  of  their  members  were  killed 
in  the  great  cataclysm,  and  the  injured  reached  a 
much  larger  number.  Most  of  the  churches  were 
in  ruins.  To  assist  the  injured  and  homeless  Wal- 
densians, The  Christian  Herald,  in  answer  to  their 
appeal,  sent  $5,000  to  Rev.  Arturo  Murton,  Presi- 
dent of  the  Waldensian  Missionary  Board  in  Rome. 
Pastor  Murton,  in  a  letter  to  Dr.  Klopsch,  acknowl- 
edged the  great  benefit  received  from  the  sum.  In 
this  letter  he  said: 

The  language  of  suffering  is  understood  by  every  human 
being,  but  it  moves  those  who  have  never  known  each  other 
before  to  such  sympathy  that  only  intimate  acquaintances 
and  long  intercourse  could  secure.  The  appalling  disaster  of 
Messina  and  Reggio  will  mark  a  special  date  in  the  tri- 
umphs of  Christian  charity.  We  are  particularly  indebted  to 
your  kind-hearted  and  generous-hearted  countrymen  for  their 
prompt  and  conspicuous  help,  and  I  beg  you  to  convey  our 
expression  of  deep  gratitude  to  the  readers  of  The  Christian 


FAIR  ITALY'S  APPALLING  CALAMITY  233 

Herald  for  the  valuable  contribution  of  $5,000  you  have  kindly 
remitted  to  our  committee. 

As  the  Lord  has  provided  for  the  bread  that  perishes,  on 
behalf  of  the  sufferers,  He  will  certainly  also  enable  us  to 
dispense  to  them  the  bread  of  life  and  help  us  to  find  the 
means  necessary  to  rear  again  His  house  out  of  the  ruins. 

The  Waldensian  Evangelical  Church,  through  the 
Rev.  F.  Albert  Costabel,  Delegate  to  the  Evangelical 
Churches  of  North  America,  also  wrote  Dr.  Klopsch, 
as  the  representative  in  America  of  the  Waldensian 
Church  of  Italy,  to  tell  him  in  its  name,  and  in  his 
own,  how  deeply  grateful  they  were  to  him,  and  to 
the  subscribers  of  The  Christian  Herald,  for  the  most 
generous  and  welcome  gift.  His  letter  concluded: 

It  is  a  cause  of  great  comfort  and  joy  to  me  to  have  the 
privilege  of  sending  you  their  thanks  for  the  new  hope  such 
Christian  sympathy  and  magnificent  liberality  have  caused 
to  shine  upon  their  blighted  lives. 

Subscriptions  to  the  earthquake  relief  fund  were 
closed  early  in  March.  The  audited  financial  state- 
ment showed  receipts  of  contributions  from  all 
sources  of  $71,805.90,  and  disbursements  of  the 
total  amount,  except  $5.92. 

Some  weeks  after  the  relief  work  was  concluded, 
Dr.  Klopsch  decided  to  make  a  brief  trip  to  Europe 
for  the  sake  of  recreation  and  the  rest  which  the  ocean 
voyage  would  afford  him.  He  allowed  himself  just 
a  month  for  the  round  trip  to  Hamburg  and  back  to 
New  York.  When  it  was  known  in  Washington  that 
he  was  going  to  Europe,  the  Italian  Embassy  at  once 
communicated  the  news  to  Rome  and  arrangements 
were  made  to  have  the  King  receive  Dr.  Klopsch. 


234  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

He  had  not  himself  planned  a  visit  to  Italy,  fearing 
that  his  time  was  far  too  limited.  But  when  he 
reached  Hamburg,  the  messages  which  came  were 
so  imperative  that  he  felt  bound  to  make  the  journey. 
This  he  did  and  was  received  with  marks  of  the 
greatest  gratitude  on  the  part  of  the  Italian  peo- 
ple, and  of  high  honor  on  the  part  of  the  Italian 
Government. 

Dr.  Klopsch's  story  of  his  visit  to  Rome  and  his 
audiences  were  penciled  by  him  in  hurried  intervals 
on  loose  sheets  of  paper.  It  is  written  in  his  direct, 
nervous  style.  His  own  account  of  the  interview 
and  of  his  visit  to  Rome  is  so  much  more  graphic 
than  could  be  written  by  any  one  else  that  the  story 
is  given  complete  as  he  wrote  it,  and  as  it  was  pub- 
lished hi  The  Christian  Herald: 

An  Audience  with  King  Victor  Emmanuel  III 

I  had  determined  to  take  a  month's  vacation  to 
put  myself  in  good  trim  for  the  summer's  work  at 
Mont-Lawn,  and  together  with  my  wife  took  passage 
on  the  Hamburg  American  Liner  Amerika  on  April 
10.  My  program  was  very  short.  Nine  days  over, 
ten  days  on  shore  and  nine  back.  We  were  three 
days  out  when  I  received  a  wireless  cablegram  in- 
forming me  that  when  Baron  Mayor  des  Planches, 
the  Italian  Ambassador  at  Washington,  heard  that 
I  had  started  for  Europe,  he  expressed  the  hope 
that  I  would  visit  Rome  in  order  that  I  might  see 
the  King.  To  facilitate  matters,  he  immediately  for- 
warded, by  the  Kronprinz  Wilhelm,  letters  of  intro- 
duction, which  I  would  find  on  my  arrival  at  Berlin. 


FAIR  ITALY'S  APPALLING  CALAMITY  235 

As  this  was  in  twenty  years  my  first  protracted 
outing  with  my  wife,  and  our  plans  had  all  been 
arranged  in  advance,  I  hesitated  to  make  the  trip 
to  Rome,  as  it  would  cut  out  five  of  the  ten  days 
we  had  planned  to  spend  together  in  Europe. 

But  when  I  reached  Berlin,  the  letters  forwarded 
by  the  Italian  Ambassador  determined  my  course. 
There  was  an  introduction  to  His  Excellency  Prime 
Minister  Tittoni,  another  to  customs  and  railway 
officials  requesting  them  to  show  the  traveler  every 
courtesy  in  their  power  consistent  with  their  duty, 
and  another  one  addressed  to  me  personally  urging 
me  to  go  to  Rome  where  the  Government  had  already 
been  advised  of  my  prospective  visit.  The  last  letter 
was  so  cordial  and  insistent  that  I  concluded  it  to 
be  my  bounden  duty  to  go. 

Monday  morning  at  a  quarter  past  one  I  took  the 
train  at  Leipzig  and  traveled  forty  hours,  reaching 
the  Eternal  City  Tuesday  afternoon.  I  at  once  com- 
municated with  Hon.  Lloyd  C.  Griscom,  the  Amer- 
ican Ambassador,  and  received  from  him  a  letter 
stating  that  the  King  was  at  his  country  palace  and 
regretted  much  that  he  could  not  receive  me  the 
following  day  as  he  and  the  Queen  were  scheduled 
to  leave  in  the  morning  direct  for  Naples  where  they 
were  to  meet  the  King  and  Queen  of  England  and 
the  Dowager  Empress  of  Russia.  Now  I  had  prom- 
ised my  wife  that  I  would  sail  home  with  her  on  the 
Amerika;  she  to  sail  from  Hamburg,  Germany,  on 
Thursday,  and  I  on  the  following  day  from  Cher- 
bourg, France.  Hence  I  could  not  await  the  King's 
convenience  without  disappointing  her.  I  therefore 


236  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

telephoned  Ambassador  Griscom  that  I  must  leave 
Rome  the  following  day,  and  also  telegraphed  my 
wife  to  that  effect.  That  was  nine  o'clock  in  the 
evening. 

Two  hours  later  a  large  envelope  addressed  to  me 
and  marked  urgentissimo  (very  urgent)  was  left  at 
the  Hotel  Quirinal,  where  I  stopped.  It  was  imme- 
diately brought  to  my  room,  and  on  opening  it  I  was 
informed  by  Ambassador  Griscom  that  he  had  read 
over  the  'phone  to  Prime  Minister  Tittoni  the  Ital- 
ian Ambassador's  letter  and  acquainted  him  with 
my  inability  to  stay  longer  than  the  next  afternoon. 
Shortly  after  he  had  received  a  letter  stating  that 
His  Majesty  the  King  had  decided  to  come  to  Rome 
in  the  morning  and  would  receive  Dr.  Klopsch  in 
private  audience  at  10.30.  Would  Ambassador 
Griscom  kindly  inform  Dr.  Klopsch  of  the  King's 
determination  ? 

Then  next  morning  a  coach  was  ordered,  and  in 
accordance  with  the  program  a  visit  was  paid  to 
the  Ambassador's  residence,  where  the  driver  was 
supplemented  by  a  tall  footman  wearing  a  red,  white 
and  blue  cockade  at  the  side  of  his  high  black  silk 
hat.  Then  I  was  driven  to  the  Royal  Palace,  while 
the  pedestrians  on  the  streets  peered  in  through  the 
open  windows  to  get  a  glimpse  of  the  lonely  occu- 
pant of  the  impressive  equipage.  We  arrived  a  few 
minutes  after  ten  and  I  alighted,  and,  flanked  by 
the  footman,  walked  through  a  very  long  courtyard 
on  either  side  of  which  there  were  numerous  soldiers 
dressed  in  gorgeous  uniforms  who  saluted  in  military 
fashion  as  we  passed  them.  Then  down  another 


FAIR  ITALY'S  APPALLING  CALAMITY  287 

courtyard  at  right  angles  with  the  former  until  we 
reached  the  entrance  to  the  palace,  before  which  there 
were  still  more  soldiers.  Here  the  footman  left 
me,  and  ascending  the  steps  I  was  escorted  by  two 
uniformed  men  up  two  flights,  at  the  head  of  which 
a  door  opened  and  I  was  ushered  into  an  ante- 
room where  two  gentlemen  in  waiting  received  me, 
mentioning  my  name  and  introducing  themselves. 
One  of  them  then  went  back  to  guard  the  door 
leading  to  the  royal  reception  room,  while  the  other 
engaged  me  in  conversation. 

We  discussed  many  subjects,  including  the  pace  of 
different  European  countries  in  the  construction  of 
Dreadnoughts.  "Think  of  it,"  said  he,  "$15,000,000 
for  a  single  Dreadnought — 75,000,000  lire.  How  very, 
very  much  money!  Our  country  is  too  poor.  We 
cannot  do  it."  Then  he  talked  of  the  great  things 
America  had  done  for  Italy  to  relieve  the  suffering 
incident  to  the  fearful  calamity  that  had  befallen 
his  country.  Just  then  the  door  opened  and  he  im- 
mediately left  me  and  went  inside.  A  minute  after 
he  returned  and  announced  "His  Majesty  will  now 
receive  Dr.  Klopsch." 

I  may  say  here  that  as  when  I  left  New  York  I 
had  no  idea  of  a  royal  audience,  I  lacked  the  regula- 
tion clothes,  but  Ambassador  Griscom  had  set  me  at 
rest  by  saying  that  His  Majesty  was  a  very  common- 
sense  man,  and  that  a  dark  suit  would  answer  the 
requirements.  I  therefore  entered  the  royal  recep- 
tion room  in  a  plain  dark  cut-away  suit. 

Almost  at  the  very  door  the  King  received  me, 
taking  my  hand  and  shaking  it,  remarking  at  the 


238  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

same  time,  "What  a  beautiful  work  you  are  doing! 
Come  sit  down."  And  down  we  sat,  but  not  before 
I  had  thanked  His  Majesty  for  inconveniencing  him- 
self to  grant  me  this  interview.  When  we  were 
seated,  I  had  abundant  opportunity  to  notice  the 
quiet,  unassuming  King  and  to  enjoy  his  excellent 
English.  He  spoke  freely  and  without  any  hesita- 
tion, as  though  English  were  his  mother-tongue. 

He  said  that  the  princely  generosity  of  America 
had  deeply  touched  his  heart,  and  he  was  glad  of  the 
opportunity  to  give  expression  to  his  sincerest  grati- 
tude for  the  very  practical  sympathy  of  the  Ameri- 
can people,  and  in  behalf  of  the  Queen  he  wished 
to  thank  me  personally  for  what  she,  through  the 
liberality  of  the  readers  of  The  Christian  Herald,  had 
been  enabled  to  do  for  the  relief  of  widowed  mothers 
and  fatherless  babes.  "America,"  he  continued,  "is 
a  rich  country;  indeed  very,  very  wealthy,  and  its 
people  know  how  to  use  the  bounties  of  a  Kind 
Providence  in  a  way  that  must  be  pleasing  to  the 
giver  of  every  good  gift." 

Then  he  asked  me,  "How  do  you  raise  such  vast 
sums?  Do  the  millionaires  of  your  country  give  you 
large  amounts?" 

I  replied  that  the  money  comes  chiefly  from  people 
in  moderate  circumstances  who  give  as  God  has 
given  them  and  in  His  name.  "Then  they  must  be 
very  good  people.  Do  they  give  large  sums?" 

"No,"  I  answered;  "the  average  contribution  is 
$2.75." 

"Oh,  that  is  very  large;  14  lire  is  a  great  deal  of 
money  in  Italy." 


FAIR  ITALY'S  APPALLING  CALAMITY  239 

Then  I  cited  some  specimen  cases  of  real  sacrifice, 
and  the  King  was  deeply  affected  at  the  incidents 
brought  to  his  attention.  He  told  me  that  he 
knew  a  good  deal  about  the  charitable  work  of  The 
Christian  Herald,  but  when  I  told  him  that  in  fifteen 
years  it  has  received  and  disbursed  over  $3,000,000, 
it  seemed  to  the  King  almost  incredible. 

"Fifteen  million  lire,"  he  said,  as  though  in  Italian 
money  he  could  better  realize  the  enormous  propor- 
tion of  this  labor  of  love. 

He  changed  the  subject  for  a  while,  saying  that 
he  was  very  sorry  that  Ambassador  Griscom  was  to 
leave.  "He  is  a  fine  man  and  very  popular  here. 
Too  bad  he  must  go." 

I  ventured  to  remark  that  he  would  probably 
continue  to  stay  for  some  time,  as  owing  to  the 
crisis  in  Turkey  it  was  unlikely  that  Ambassador 
Leishman,  who  had  been  transferred  from  Con- 
stantinople to  Rome,  could  leave  his  present  post  for 
a  while. 

"Only  a  few  days  perhaps,"  he  replied,  thus  imply- 
ing that  this  new  order  of  things  in  Turkey  was 
practically  an  accomplished  fact. 

"Is  it  not  marvelous  that  the  Sultan  could  so 
long  retain  the  throne  while  all  Europe  was  making 
tremendous  strides,  and  Turkey  alone  remained 
stagnant?"  I  inquired. 

"Thirty-seven  years,"  the  King  replied,  and  then 
continued,  "The  Sultan  was  a  very  hard-working 
man.  He  worked  eighteen  hours  a  day  and  knew 
minutely  all  that  was  going  on.  I  am  surprised  that 
the  Young  Turk  movement  could  have  so  suddenly 


240  LIFE-WORK  OF   LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

overwhelmed  him.  He  must  lately  have  been  very 
poorly  and  incorrectly  informed.'* 

Changing  the  subject  again,  the  king  said: 

"I  was  very  much  pleased  at  meeting  ex-President 
Roosevelt  the  other  day  at  Messina.  He  is  a  fine 
man.  He  must  be  shooting  wild  animals  by  this 
time." 

I  expressed  regret  at  the  injury  which  the  Queen 
was  reported  to  have  met  with  while  ministering  to 
the  suffering  at  Messina. 

"It  is  said  that  she  fractured  a  rib,"  said  I. 

He  replied,  "Oh  no,  she  stumbled  and  fell,  striking 
against  a  bottle,  bruising  herself,  but  now  she  is  fully 
restored." 

"You  have  met  many  crowned  heads?"  queried  he. 
In  reply  I  mentioned  a  number,  among  them  the 
Queen  of  England  and  the  Dowager  Empress  of 
Russia. 

"I  am  to  meet  them  both  to-morrow  at  Naples," 
was  his  response,  with  a  smile  that  indicated  that  he 
anticipated  a  pleasant  time. 

"You  have  also  met  the  Emperor  of  Russia?" 

"I  have,"  I  answered;  "I  fear  that  he  is  not  very 
happy,  the  papers  say  he  is  not." 

"There  you  are  mistaken;  the  Emperor  of  Russia 
is  very  happy  and  contented,  and  one  must  not 
believe  half  the  papers  say,"  he  said  with  a  pleasant 
smile. 

"How  many  copies  does  The  Christian  Herald 
circulate?"  the  King  inquired. 

"Two  hundred  and  forty-six  thousand  a  week." 

"Two  hundred  and  forty-six  thousand,"  repeated 


FAIR  ITALY'S  APPALLING  CALAMITY  241 

he.  "That  is  a  large  number.  You  must  reach  over 
two  million  people  a  week."  He  figured  here  in  Italy 
that  every  paper  is  read  by  ten  people  on  the  average. 
"How  long  do  you  own  the  paper?" 

"About  twenty  years." 

"What  was  its  circulation  then?" 

"Thirty-one  thousand." 

"You  must  be  very  proud,"  was  his  comment  on 
this  bit  of  information.  "I  have  also  heard  of  your 
great  work  in  India,"  he  added. 

We  talked  over  several  of  the  more  important 
charitable  enterprises  which  our  subscribers  had 
enabled  us  to  engage  in,  and  particularly  of  our 
Children's  Home  at  Mont-Lawn,  at  which  over  five 
hundred  Italian  boys  and  girls  and  twenty-five  hun- 
dred others  are  entertained  every  summer.  The 
King  requested  me  to  send  him  a  descriptive  circular 
of  the  Home,  as  "that  charity  is  so  beautiful." 

We  had  conversed  over  an  hour,  when  the  King, 
looking  at  his  watch,  said,  "I  will  now  have  to  take 
my  train  to  Naples."  We  arose,  he  shook  me  by  the 
hand  and  wished  me  a  pleasant  voyage  home,  led  me 
to  the  door,  and  with  another  hand-shake  we  parted 
and  the  audience  was  over. 

The  next  day  the  daily  papers  of  Rome  printed 
a  very  complimentary  account  of  the  great  work  of 
The  Christian  Herald,  making  especial  appreciative 
mention  of  the  generous  share  it  took  in  Messina 
relief  work,  particularly  among  mothers  and  children 
under  the  direction  of  gracious  Queen  Helena. 


CHAPTER   XIV 

OUR    OWN    AND    NEARBY    LANDS 

HOME  BELIEF  WORK  —  NEW  YORK  IN  THE  WINTER  OF  1893-94  —  REV.  STEPHEN 
MERRITT'S  TRAVELERS'  CLUB  —  DR.  KLOPSCH  ESTABLISHES  FOOD  AND  FTJBL 

STATIONS END  OF  THE  DISTRESS SUFFERING  CAUSED  BY  CROP  FAILURES 

IN  1894 SUCCOR  FOR  THE  WESTERN  STATES INCIDENTS  OF  A  PERSONAL 

VISIT AID  IN  THE  GALVE8TON  TIDAL  WAVE  OF  1900  —  HELP  FOB  THE 

KANSAS  FLOOD  SUFFERERS  IN  1903 CONTRIBUTION  TO  THE  SAN  FRANCISCO 

EARTHQUAKE  SUFFERERS  IN  1906 HURRICANE  AND  FLOOD  IN  PORTO  RICO 

IN  1899  —  "CHRISTIAN  HERALD"  CONTRIBUTIONS  —  DESTRUCTIVE  WATERS 
AT  MONTEREY,  MEXICO,  IN  1909  —  DR.  KLOPSCH  SENDS  MONEY  AND  BLANKETS 
APPRECIATION. 

THE  American  people  are  blessed  with  a  happy 
freedom  from  frequent  and  long-continued 
suffering.  Yet  calamities  sometimes  come. 
Occasionally  there  is  need  of  temporary  help  in  some 
section  of  the  country,  while  at  the  same  time  in 
other  sections  there  is  an  abundance,  and  those  who 
have  it  are  ready  to  give.  In  the  winter  of  1893-94 
there  was  much  suffering  among  the  poor  in  New 
York  City.  It  was  a  time  of  industrial  and  financial 
depression.  The  season  was  unusually  severe,  and 
there  was  a  great  dearth  of  employment  among  both 
skilled  and  unskilled  workers.  Thousands  of  families 
were  in  temporary,  yet  deep  poverty. 

At  a  time  when  there  were  multitudes  of  hungry 
men  thronging  the  streets  of  New  York,  thousands 
of  them  absolutely  homeless  and  destitute,  the 
problem  of  the  poor  appealed  to  the  sympathizing 
hearts  of  Christian  people  everywhere.  Among  the 

242 


OUR  OWN  AND  NEARBY  LANDS  243 

agencies  actively  engaged  in  relieving  the  most  urgent 
form  of  suffering,  the  pangs  of  hunger  and  cold, 
that  of  the  Eighth  Avenue  Mission,  established 
by  Stephen  Merritt,  the  preacher-philanthropist, 
was  unique.  Mr.  Merritt  was  the  father-in-law 
of  Dr.  Klopsch.  He  had  established  a  year  previ- 
ously the  "Travelers'  Club"  for  all  comers,  which 
was  an  outgrowth  of  his  Eighth  Avenue  Mission. 
The  Travelers'  Club  at  the  outset  was  composed  of 
the  poorest,  lowest,  and  most  wretched  unfortunates, 
who  assembled  in  the  large  hall  of  the  Eighth 
Avenue  Mission  between  five  and  seven  o'clock 
every  morning  and  were  refreshed  with  a  wholesome 
and  abundant  meal  of  meat,  bread,  and  fragrant 
coffee.  All  were  welcome  regardless  of  nationality, 
color,  or  creed.  It  sufficed  that  the  wanderer  was 
hungry. 

During  the  distress  of  this  hard  winter,  two  thou- 
sand persons  a  day  were  fed  at  the  Eighth  Avenue 
Mission.  The  readers  of  The  Christian  Herald  helped 
to  contribute  the  funds  which  made  this  possible. 

Relief  on  a  more  extended  scale  became  neces- 
sary. Some  of  the  pastors  and  missionary  workers 
in  the  tenement  districts  appealed  to  Dr.  Klopsch 
to  do  something  for  the  poor  at  home,  and  he 
responded  by  establishing  a  "food-fund"  and  open- 
ing more  than  a  dozen  relief  stations  in  different 
sections  of  the  city,  most  of  them  on  the  East  Side. 
Coal,  wood,  and  oil  stations  were  also  established, 
from  which  was  distributed  fuel.  Medical  aid  was 
also  provided. 

Dr.    Klopsch    rented    a   building    in    Stuyvesant 


244  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

Street,  as  a  "food-fund  headquarters,"  and  organized 
a  committee  of  eighteen  city  pastors,  each  of  whom 
arranged  for  a  local  headquarters,  either  in  his  church 
basement,  or  some  suitable  apartment  near  at  hand. 
Thousands  of  destitute  homes  were  gladdened.  Not 
only  money  and  food,  but  quantities  of  garments, 
hats,  shoes  and  rolls  of  cloth  were  sent  in  response 
to  the  calls  for  help.  The  Stuyvesant  Street  place 
took  on  the  appearance  of  a  general  country  store 
on  a  large  scale,  and  the  branch  relief  stations  were 
kept  busy  distributing  food,  fuel  and  clothing  to  some 
twelve  hundred  families,  averaging  five  persons  each, 
according  to  a  regular  system  which  included  an 
investigation  of  each  case  before  relief  was  granted. 
Contributions  came  from  all  over  the  country,  espe- 
cially of  food  and  clothing.  In  the  town  of  Mound- 
ridge,  Kansas,  the  generous  people  loaded  up  a  freight 
car  with  a  quantity  of  flour,  which  was  equivalent  to 
the  whole  week's  bread  supply  for  the  fund,  and 
shipped  it  to  New  York.  It  was  known  as  the 
"Pioneer  Car,"  and  when  it  reached  New  York  the 
flour  was  baked  into  loaves  and  distributed.  Then 
contributions  came  from  other  sources. 

A  feature  of  the  relief  work  was  the  mission  band 
which  undertook  the  labor  of  distribution.  From  a 
modest  beginning  with  a  few  missionaries  as  district 
visitors,  the  band  gradually  extended  its  operations 
as  the  means  multiplied,  until  twenty -seven  mission- 
aries and  assistants  were  engaged  in  house  to  house 
visitation  among  the  destitute  poor.  Throughout 
the  entire  work  Mrs.  Klopsch  bore  an  active  part, 
cooperating  with  the  missionaries  in  their  duties  and 


OUR  OWN  AND  NEARBY  LANDS  245 

personally  visiting  many  distressed  homes  where 
hunger  and  despair  had  shut  out  hope  until  her 
husband's  relief  measures  through  the  "food-fund" 
turned  the  gloom  to  sunshine. 

Toward  spring  the  distress  lightened  in  the  tene- 
ment districts,  and  with  the  advent  of  milder  weather 
and  improved  industrial  conditions,  many  of  the  idle 
were  able  to  obtain  work.  Consequently  the  relief 
was  closed.  The  pastors  of  the  city  churches,  who 
had  cooperated  in  the  relief,  united  in  a  testimonial 
as  to  the  remarkable  efficiency  of  the  "food-fund,"  and 
praising  it  as  a  timely  Christ-like  service  to  humanity. 
The  signers  included:  Rev.  R.  S.  MacArthur,  D.D.; 
Rev.  C.  W.  Millard;  Rev.  J.  C.  Thomas;  Rev.  H. 
Faust;  Rev.  J.  A.  B.  Wilson;  Rev.  C.  Wright;  Rev. 
J.  B.  Stansberry;  Rev.  E.  L.  Fox,  and  Rev.  Win. 
Hamilton. 

In  the  late  fall  and  early  winter  of  1894  stories 
came  of  suffering  in  Nebraska  and  Kansas.  A 
drought  during  the  previous  summer  had  made  the 
crops  a  failure.  It  was  a  bad  year  everywhere  for 
the  western  farmers.  In  a  score  or  more  of  counties 
of  Nebraska  and  Kansas,  and  in  some  sections  of 
Texas,  Colorado,  and  Oklahoma,  many  families  were 
in  actual  want.  There  was  really  a  famine  in  one 
of  the  richest  agricultural  regions  of  the  United  States. 
The  suffering  people,  however,  were  slow  to  make 
known  their  distress.  They  hoped  to  get  through 
the  winter  without  succor  from  outside.  But  it 
became  apparent  that  unless  aid  came  from  beyond 
their  own  states,  many  would  not  get  through  the 
winter  at  all.  Letters  received  in  The  Christian 


246  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

Herald  office  from  more  than  a  hundred  different 
localities  in  Kansas  and  Nebraska  told  the  same 
story  of  privation,  —  fine  farms  destroyed  by  the 
two  years'  drought;  empty  barns,  and  still  emptier 
larders;  stock  dying  for  want  of  feed,  and  men, 
women,  and  children  weakened  from  long  hunger 
and  freezing  for  lack  of  clothing  and  fuel. 

Dr.  Klopsch,  when  the  facts  were  known,  estab- 
lished a  relief  fund  for  the  western  sufferers.  This 
he  supplemented  by  a  central  relief  depot  in  upper 
Broadway  to  which  boxes,  barrels,  and  packages  of 
clothing  and  supplies  could  be  sent  for  free  trans- 
portation to  Kansas  and  Nebraska.  All  seemed 
eager  to  help  the  West,  and  both  supplies  and  money 
poured  in.  The  nation's  great  heart  was  touched. 
A  corps  of  volunteer  distributors  was  established 
in  the  West  to  distribute  the  supplies  that  were 
forwarded.  Thanks  came  from  the  Governor  of 
Nebraska,  and  from  officials,  which  showed  that  the 
gifts  were  not  only  needed,  but  that  they  were  being 
properly  handled.  Dr.  Klopsch  decided  to  go  West 
himself  in  order  to  see  how  the  work  of  distribution 
was  going  on,  and  report  to  the  readers  of  The  Chris- 
tian Herald  the  use  made  of  their  contributions. 

"No  one  can  travel  over  the  plains,"  he  tele- 
graphed, "and  see  the  present  condition  of  these 
people,  without  being  convinced  that  their  story  of 
destitution  and  helplessness  has  not  been  told." 

He  first  went  to  Nebraska,  then  to  Colorado,  and 
from  there  to  Kansas.  The  tour  took  three  weeks. 
Public  officials,  local  committees,  and  the  people 
everywhere  welcomed  Dr.  Klopsch,  and  profited  by 


OUR  OWN  AND  NEARBY  LANDS         247 

his  advice  as  to  the  best  method  of  distributing  the 
relief.  He  had  two  points  in  view.  These  were  to 
reach  and  relieve  as  expeditiously  as  possible  those 
sections  where  the  suffering  was  the  sharpest,  and 
to  create  new  centers  of  Christian  work  at  advan- 
tageous points. 

Dr.  Klopsch  made  a  special  contribution  from  The 
Christian  Herald  fund  of  $1,000  for  the  relief  of  the 
Nebraska  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  veterans, 
since  many  of  the  old  soldiers  were  in  great  need. 
"In  the  carrying  out  of  this  work,"  he  wrote,  "I 
have  traveled  more  than  half-way  through  Nebraska, 
throughout  the  entire  length  of  Kansas,  and  through 
Colorado  as  far  as  Denver." 

Not  only  immediate  needs,  but  the  future  also  had 
to  be  looked  to,  since  the  next  year's  crop  must  be 
provided  for.  The  Chicago  Board  of  Trade,  appre- 
ciating the  situation,  appointed  a  committee  to  raise 
a  seed-fund.  Various  leading  seedsmen  sent  to  The 
Christian  Herald  vegetable  seed  in  generous  quanti- 
ties. One  philanthropic  seedsman,  J.  J.  H.  Gregory, 
of  Marblehead,  Mass.,  provided  vegetable  seed  to 
plant  about  a  fifth  of  an  acre  to  a  thousand  families. 
Others  made  similar  contributions. 

In  the  meantime,  with  the  advent  of  spring,  the 
conditions  improved,  the  people  were  able  to  provide 
for  the  next  season's  crops,  and  it  became  possible 
to  close  the  relief  work.  In  addition  to  the  contri- 
butions of  food,  clothing,  and  other  supplies,  The 
Christian  Herald  had  raised  $26,825.40. 

The  gratitude  of  the  western  people  was  made 
manifest  in  many  ways.  Numerous  resolutions 


248  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

were  adopted,  and  thanks  were  expressed  to  the 
readers  of  The  Christian  Herald.  At  the  Annual 
Encampment  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  of 
Nebraska,  a  special  resolution  was  adopted  thanking 
Dr.  Klopsch  and  his  readers  for  their  contributions 
in  the  time  of  need. 

On  the  night  of  September  8,  1900,  the  southern 
and  central  counties  of  Texas  were  swept  by  a  West 
Indian  hurricane  of  wide-spread  extent  and  un- 
precedented violence.  For  thirty  hours  it  raged 
unabated,  and  it  was  accompanied  by  great  tidal 
waves  which  swept  the  entire  coast  line  of  the  state, 
submerging  many  of  the  cities  and  towns  along  the 
Gulf,  and  carrying  death  and  devastation  far  inland. 
Nearly  a  hundred  towns  and  villages  suffered  from 
the  onrush  of  the  great  wall  of  water  from  the  Gulf. 

The  city  of  Galveston  was  the  greatest  sufferer, 
being  in  the  center  of  the  storm  track.  Galveston 
is  built  on  an  island.  The  storm  began  Saturday 
morning,  and  by  noon  the  whole  city  was  alarmed, 
and  the  people  were  abandoning  their  houses.  The 
wind  and  rain  were  violent  beyond  description.  By 
three  in  the  afternoon  the  Gulf  waters  were  rushing 
into  the  Bay.  At  dark  the  whole  city  was  under 
water,  and  40,000  souls  were  facing  death.  Nearly 
all  the  buildings  were  destroyed.  The  big  sea-going 
steamers  Alamo,  Launton,  Red  Cross,  and  Kendall 
Gylla  and  others  were  wrecked  in  the  harbor,  and 
over  one  hundred  other  craft  of  all  sorts  suffered  a 
like  fate.  The  mainland  was  strewn  with  wreckage 
and  corpses.  Seven  hundred  bodies  were  washed 
ashore  at  Virginia  Point.  A  relief  train,  which 


OUR  OWN  AND  NEARBY  LANDS  249 

started  from  Houston,  found  the  territory  covered 
with  lumber,  debris,  pianos,  trunks,  bedding,  furni- 
ture, and  dead  bodies.  The  whole  country  was 
strewn  with  wrecked  property.  In  all  between  six 
and  seven  thousand  persons  lost  their  lives  in  the 
Galveston  disaster. 

But  there  were  the  survivors  to  think  of  and  to 
care  for.  As  the  tales  of  heroism  shown  amid  the 
awful  scenes  became  known,  there  were  also  accounts 
of  the  relief  that  would  be  necessary  temporarily. 
Great  quantities  of  food  and  medicines  were  needed 
in  order  to  confront  the  danger  of  temporary  famine. 
The  state  of  Texas,  and  what  was  left  of  the  city  of 
Galveston,  made  noble  efforts  to  provide  for  their 
own,  but  the  rest  of  the  country  was  also  called  on. 

"This  is  not  a  cry  from  a  foreign  land,"  said  The 
Christian  Herald,  "but  from  our  own  Christian 
brothers  and  sisters  at  home." 

Immediately  on  receiving  the  first  intelligence  of 
the  disaster,  Dr.  Klopsch  had  telegraphed  to  Gover- 
nor Sayers  to  draw  at  sight  for  $1,000  for  the  relief 
work,  and  asking  how  help  could  be  most  speedily 
and  effectively  rendered.  Governor  Sayers  replied  ac- 
cepting the  gift  with  thanks.  Offers  of  help  were  also 
telegraphed  by  Dr.  Klopsch  to  the  Galveston  and 
Houston  authorities.  The  Christian  Herald  further 
opened  a  relief  headquarters  in  Galveston  under  the 
charge  of  special  commissioners.  The  contributions 
which  were  received  were  promptly  and  effectively 
applied,  and  the  contributors  knew  that  they  were 
sharing  in  the  great  work  of  relief. 

A  period  of  distress  came  to  the  people  of  the 


250  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

Southwest  in  the  summer  of  1903,  when  the  worst 
flood  that  had  been  known  in  thirty  years  visited 
Kansas  and  Missouri.  It  became  evident  during  the 
last  days  of  May  that  the  Kansas  and  Missouri  rivers 
were  swelling  to  the  danger  mark,  the  spring  freshets 
having  been  late  and  extremely  heavy.  On  the  last 
day  of  May  the  flood  came  with  terrific  violence, 
accompanied  by  heavy  rains,  and  soon  the  lowlands 
along  the  river  front  at  Kansas  City  were  a  vast  sea. 
At  Kansas  City,  Topeka,  and  other  points  extending 
for  many  miles  either  way,  the  raging  rivers  swept 
over  embankments  and  covered  the  bottom-lands 
with  from  eight  to  thirty  feet  of  water,  carrying 
havoc  and  death  with  the  inrushing  flood.  Sixteen 
bridges  over  the  Kansas  River  went  down  under  the 
force  of  the  torrent. 

The  scenes  of  suffering  and  anxiety  during  the  three 
or  four  days  when  the  flood  was  at  its  maximum  were 
never  seen  equalled  by  the  people  of  that  part  of 
the  country.  In  Kansas  City  20,000  persons  were 
homeless.  In  Topeka  7,000  flood  refugees  had  to 
be  cared  for.  The  streets  were  like  canals,  and  the 
country  for  miles  around  was  flooded.  In  North 
Topeka,  hundreds  were  imprisoned  in  their  houses 
by  the  swift  rise  of  the  waters.  Men  and  women 
could  be  seen  in  the  upper  parts  of  the  houses 
waving  clothes  as  signals  of  distress,  or  shouting  for 
aid.  The  darkness  of  the  nights  was  made  appalling 
by  the  frequent  cries  for  help.  In  the  daytime, 
bodies  could  be  seen  floating  down  the  rivers.  Many 
daring  rescues  were  reported.  One  man  drew  from 
the  river  a  cradle  with  a  baby  in  it,  the  little  one 


OUR  OWN  AND  NEARBY  LANDS  251 

unhurt  and  having  escaped  death  almost  miracu- 
lously, 

In  response  to  appeals  for  aid  on  behalf  of  the 
homeless  refugees,  Dr.  Klopsch  telegraphed  to  Mayor 
Craddock  of  Kansas  City,  Kansas,  and  the  Rev. 
Charles  M.  Sheldon,  of  Topeka,  authorizing  them  to 
draw  on  him  for  $1,000  each  for  relief  work,  which  was 
done.  Further  contributions  were  received  and  were 
promptly  forwarded  until  the  emergency  was  passed. 

Writing  from  Topeka  to  The  Christian  Herald,  Pas- 
tor C.  M.  Sheldon  said:  "Topeka  is  divided  into  two 
parts  by  the  Kansas  River.  The  south  side  was  not 
affected  by  the  flood,  but  the  north  side,  containing 
about  10,000  people,  was  completely  submerged. 
Many  people  were  drowned,  and  the  entire  number 
of  inhabitants  rendered  homeless  for  the  time  being. 
Many  houses  have  been  completely  swept  away,  and 
the  damage  to  property  is  beyond  computation.  It 
is  safe  to  say  that  thousands  of  people  in  Topeka  will 
lose  everything,  and  the  churches  on  the  north  side 
are  in  very  great  need. 

"A  large  part  of  the  money  that  I  receive  from 
outside  sources,  I  shall  try  to  use  in  the  reestablish- 
ment  of  the  religious  and  educational  work  of  the 
city  where  it  has  been  affected.  Topeka  would  not 
have  turned  to  the  outside  world  for  help,  if  it  had 
not  felt  unable  to  cope  with  the  situation.  What- 
ever The  Christian  Herald  can  do  will  be  gratefully 
received,  and  if  we  have  more  than  can  be  well  used 
here,  we  will  simply  pass  it  on  to  the  thousands  of 
suffering  farmers  and  citizens  in  other  parts  of  the 
state." 


LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

It  was  on  an  April  day  in  1906,  the  18th,  that  the 
nation  was  stunned  by  the  news  that  San  Francisco 
had  been  smitten  by  an  earthquake,  and  that  the 
entire  business  section  of  the  beautiful  Californian 
city  lay  in  ruins.  After  the  first  brief  message,  no 
word  came  for  some  time.  Wires  were  down  in  all 
directions,  and  communication  was  entirely  cut  off. 
But  later  came  confirmation  of  the  great  disaster. 
Survivors,  who  told  the  story  of  that  terrible  morn- 
ing's experience,  said  that  crowds  of  people  ran  to- 
gether in  the  streets,  many  of  them  half-clad.  As 
the  earth  swung  and  rocked  beneath  them,  and  as 
buildings  toppled,  the  frantic  people  cried  out  to 
each  other  amid  their  sobs  that  it  was  the  end  of  the 
world.  They  talked  in  shrill  voices  half  hysterically. 
The  oscillations  from  north  to  south  seemed  to  twist 
the  ground  to  its  center.  Many  felt  the  straining 
and  indescribable  nausea  which  accompany  earth- 
quakes. 

Spectators  described  their  sensations  when  the 
earthquake  struck.  They  were  awakened  from 
peaceful  sleep  by  the  crash  of  breaking  glass,  the 
straining  of  timbers,  and  the  rocking  of  floors.  The 
blow  seemed  to  come  from  the  north,  and  it  caused 
the  earth  to  heave  violently.  People  who  sprang 
from  their  beds  grasped  anything  within  reach  to 
steady  themselves.  The  walls  of  the  rooms  seemed 
to  be  moved  out,  and  the  furniture  and  other  articles 
were  shaken  and  roughly  thrown  to  one  side.  Shrill 
screams  of  terror  rose  above  the  noise  of  grinding 
timbers  and  falling  masonry.  The  earth  shocks 
were  sharp  and  definite,  and  the  oscillations  were 


OUR  OWN  AND  NEARBY  LANDS         253 

like  those  of  a  vessel  in  a  choppy  sea.  Then  when 
the  terror  was  at  its  highest  tension,  there  was  a 
plausible  relaxation,  and  final  tremor  of  the  ground, 
and  the  earthquake  was  over.  But  what  a  trans- 
formation had  been  wrought  in  a  few  moments! 

All  that  eventful  day  the  fires  spread  and  the  city 
was  like  a  furnace.  Dynamite  was  employed,  and 
whole  blocks  of  buildings  were  blown  up  and  leveled 
in  the  hope  that  the  fiery  destruction  might  be  stayed 
at  the  open  spaces,  but  it  was  a  vain  hope.  By  far 
the  greater  part  of  the  ruin  of  San  Francisco  was 
wrought  by  fire  which  literally  seemed  to  spring  up 
out  of  the  ground  after  the  shocks  had  ceased. 

Some  idea  of  the  vastness  of  the  ruin  was  gathered 
when  it  was  known  that  30,000  buildings  were  de- 
stroyed, and  fully  300,000  persons  made  homeless, 
while  more  than  1,000  persons  lost  then*  lives. 

Refugees  poured  from  the  city  by  tens  of  thou- 
sands. 

When  the  report  of  the  disaster  reached  the  other 
parts  of  the  country,  relief  committees  were  organized 
at  once.  General  Funston,  who  was  in  command  of 
the  United  States  troops  in  San  Francisco,  appealed 
for  tents,  clothing,  and  food,  and  soon  considerable 
quantities  of  provisions  began  to  reach  the  city  from 
nearby  towns.  These  were  quickly  swollen  by  food 
and  clothing  from  towns  further  away. 

The  relief  work  in  San  Francisco  was  in  charge  of 
the  American  Red  Cross.  Dr.  Klopsch,  on  behalf  of 
The  Christian  Herald,  immediately  addressed  W.  C. 
Langdon,  the  Secretary  of  the  Society,  enclosing 
a  contribution  of  $5,000,  and  promising  more. 


254  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

Further  contributions  were  made,  and  The  Christian 
Herald  readers  knew  that  they  were  helping  in  this 
relief  work,  as  in  so  many  other  calamities  when 
succor  was  called  for. 

The  beautiful  tropical  island  of  Porto  Rico  was 
swept  by  a  hurricane  in  the  autumn  of  1899.  It  had 
been  ceded  by  Spain  to  the  United  States  as  the 
result  of  the  war  for  the  liberation  of  Cuba,  and 
was  therefore  an  American  possession.  The  Govern- 
ment was  then  carried  on  by  the  military  authority. 

Flood  followed  the  hurricane,  and  from  all  over 
the  island  came  reports  of  its  tremendous  extent  and 
terrible  destructive  power.  The  great  rivers  were 
swollen  to  the  proportions  of  mighty  torrents,  and 
swept  everything  before  them.  Towns,  villages,  and 
plantations  disappeared.  Whole  houses  were  afloat, 
their  occupants  vainly  hoping  to  find  some  secure 
lodgment,  only  to  be  tossed  and  assailed  until  the 
structure  parted  and  the  helpless  ones  were  engulfed 
in  the  torrents  of  water. 

The  hurricane  and  flood  not  only  destroyed  life, 
but  they  destroyed  the  means  of  life.  Porto  Rico 
is  a  densely  populated  little  country  having  more 
than  a  million  inhabitants.  Coffee  is  its  chief  prod- 
uct, and  the  coffee  plantations  were  almost  entirely 
destroyed. 

The  first  measures  to  be  taken  were  for  immediate 
relief,  and  after  that  for  restoring  the  coffee  crop. 
General  George  W.  Davis,  who  was  the  military 
commander,  at  once  undertook  to  afford  systematical 
relief,  and  to  take  charge  of  the  supplies  and  con- 
tributions that  were  received  from  the  United  States. 


OUR  OWN  AND  NEARBY  LANDS         255 

Mrs.  Guy  V.  Henry,  wife  of  General  Henry,  and 
then  President  of  the  Women's  Aid  Society  of 
Porto  Rico,  issued  an  appeal  through  The  Christian 
Herald  to  the  Christian  mothers  and  daughters  of 
America  in  behalf  of  the  suffering  women  and  chil- 
dren of  Porto  Rico.  Among  other  things  she  said: 

"A  country  devastated  by  flood  and  famine  cries 
out  to  us  for  aid  at  once.  Not  like  India,  or  Armenia, 
or  Russia,  calling  from  a  foreign  land,  and  under  a 
foreign  flag,  but  with  our  own  flag  waving  over  its 
municipal  buildings  and  carried  through  the  streets 
by  its  little  children  singing  'America' ;  the  land  they 
all  love  and  look  to  for  aid  now  that  flood  and  destruc- 
tion have  laid  waste  that  delightful  island.  Shall  the 
cry  of  the  homeless,  starving  people  who  welcomed 
us  but  a  few  months  ago  with  gentle  voices  and  open 
arms  fall  on  deaf  ears  and  plead  in  vain  to  unsym- 
pathizing  hearts?  Hear  the  call,  oh  great  American 
people,  and  rise  with  grand  response  with  one  hand 
stretched  out  and  send  help." 

This  and  other  appeals  were  not  unheeded.  It 
was  believed  that  fully  half  the  population  of  the 
island  were  in  need,  and  at  least  a  quarter  of  a  mil- 
lion were  on  the  verge  of  starvation.  Food,  cloth- 
ing, and  money  were  provided  for  them  through  the 
recognized  agencies.  And  great  as  was  the  need,  it 
was  relieved.  Thousands  of  tons  of  food  were  sup- 
plied, great  quantities  of  clothing,  and  in  some  cases 
ready  money.  The  Christian  Herald  continued  its 
contributions  until  the  Government  agencies  were 
sufficiently  established  to  insure  the  people  of  Porto 
Rico  against  further  suffering. 


256  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

A  near  neighbor  of  the  United  States  was  visited 
by  disaster  in  the  late  summer  of  1909.  An  awful 
flood  overwhelmed  the  thriving  city  of  Monterey  in 
northern  Mexico,  carrying  down  to  death  more  than 
2,000  human  beings,  and  destroying  $3,000,000  in 
property.  Only  an  earthquake  could  have  been 
more  sudden  and  troubling  than  the  swift  rush  of 
waters  which  engulfed  the  Mexican  city  on  the  night 
of  August  27.  Monterey  generally  has  difficulty  in 
getting  enough  water  for  its  ordinary  needs.  The 
bed  of  the  Santa  Catalina  River,  which  winds  down 
from  the  mountains,  in  summer  is  as  dry  as  a  bone, 
and  the  gaunt  arches  of  the  bridges  span  no  water 
except  at  certain  periods  of  the  year.  The  district 
had  been  suffering  from  a  drought,  running  more 
than  fourteen  months,  and  above  all  things  rain  was 
most  desired  by  the  people.  When  a  rain  storm  came 
in  July  there  was  much  rejoicing.  A  dry  period  fol- 
lowed, but  on  the  evening  of  August  27,  the  rain 
began  to  fall,  gently  at  first  and  then  increasing 
to  a  down-pour.  When  the  people  went  to  sleep 
in  their  adobe  houses,  a  good  stream  of  water  was 
rushing  along  the  river  bed  beneath  the  arches  of 
the  bridges,  and  some  of  the  flimsy  huts  had  begun 
to  leak,  but  no  alarm  was  felt.  Those  who  were 
awakened  later  by  the  thunder  of  the  torrents  of 
water,  which  seemed  to  fall  in  one  great  sheet,  began 
to  get  uneasy.  The  blackness  of  the  night  was  ter- 
rible, and  the  water  was  pouring  down  the  streets  as 
if  they  were  soon  to  become  a  part  of  the  Catalina 
River  itself. 

From  the  direction  of  the  river  came  the  alter- 
nate boom  and  roar  of  the  flood.  The  water  swayed 


HAVOC  WROUGHT  BY  THE  FLOOD   IN   MONTEREY  STREETS 


THE  RIVER  FRONT  IN  MONTEREY  DURING  THE  GREAT  FLOOD 


OUB  OWN  AND  NEARBY  LANDS  257 

against  the  structures  on  the  river  bank,  shaking  them 
as  if  they  were  of  paste  and  cardboard.  Great  sec- 
tions of  earth  were  carried  away,  walls  toppled,  and 
the  houses  were  crushed  like  egg-shells,  the  wreckage 
bearing  down  stream  in  a  tangled  and  ever  increas- 
ing mass.  Engulfed  in  the  angry  waves  were  hun- 
dreds of  hapless  people  who  were  unable  to  make 
their  escape  to  upper  parts  of  the  city. 

Morning  came,  but  the  rain  never  ceased;  at  times 
it  seemed  to  increase  in  violence.  The  people  made 
their  way  to  the  river  banks,  or  rather  to  the  edge 
of  the  lake,  which  was  boiling  through  the  city. 
For  several  blocks  inward  from  the  former  bed  of 
the  river  nearly  every  house  had  disappeared.  For 
nearly  four  miles  this  was  the  situation. 

The  storm  continued  for  two  days  and  a  hah*. 
Then  it  began  to  slacken,  and  relief  efforts  were  at 
once  begun  by  the  Mexicans  and  foreign  residents. 
Philip  C.  Hanna,  the  American  Consul- General,  was 
one  of  the  most  active  in  relieving  the  distress. 
Knowing  that  aid  from  other  sections  would  be 
necessary,  he  telegraphed  to  Dr.  Klopsch  saying  that 
thousands  were  homeless,  and  that  the  suffering 
must  continue  for  months  to  come,  and  that  assist- 
ance would  be  appreciated. 

Dr.  Klopsch's  reply  was  promptly  sent,  as  follows: 

NEW  YORK,  August  31, 1909. 
HANNA,  CONSUL-GENERAL, 

Monterey,  Mexico. 

Will  honor  your  sight  draft  for  $1,000  as  our  first 
contribution  toward  relief  of  stricken  people  of 
Monterey. 

(Signed)    Louis  KLOPSCH. 


258  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

The  Consul-General  at  once  telegraphed  his  grateful 
acknowledgment  of  the  money,  which  he  at  once  em- 
ployed in  buying  food  and  clothing  for  the  destitute. 

The  relief  efforts  of  The  Christian  Herald  continued 
in  conjunction  with  the  Consul-General  and  with  the 
American  Red  Cross  Society.  One  great  need,  as 
explained  by  Consul-General  Hanna,  was  for  clothing 
as  the  fall  weather  came  on.  This  was  met  by  Dr. 
Klopsch  shipping  blankets.  First  there  were  a  thou- 
sand or  so,  then  a  larger  number,  until  The  Christian 
Herald  readers  had  contributed  twenty  thousand 
blankets.  They  also  sent  a  hundred  sewing  machines, 
which  were  wanted. 

Consul-General  Hanna  acknowledged  the  benefit 
in  a  telegram  to  Dr.  Klopsch,  and  also  in  his  official 
report  to  the  State  Department.  This  was  made 
evident  by  the  following  telegram: 

MONTEREY,  MEXICO,  October  24,  1909. 
SECRETARY  OP  STATE, 

WASHINGTON,  D.  C. 

The  thousands  of  blankets  from  the  American  Red  Cross, 
The  Christian  Herald,  merchants  and  private  citizens  are  arriv- 
ing and  being  distributed  in  Monterey,  and  sent  to  outlying 
towns  affording  relief  to  thousands  of  delicate  women  and 
children  in  the  stricken  districts.  Scores  of  bags,  bales  and 
boxes  of  second-hand  clothing  are  arriving  from  all  parts  of 
the  United  States.  Demand  very  great,  and  much  more  will 
be  needed.  Corn,  beans  and  rice  come  from  different  parts. 
Mexicans  more  fully  than  ever  convinced  that  Americans  are 
their  friends.  I  have  the  hearty  cobperation  of  clergy  of  all 
denominations  and  Mexican  Red  Cross. 

Dr.  Klopsch  also  telegraphed  direct  to  President 
Porfirio  Diaz  the  desire  The  Christian  Herald 


OUR  OWN  AND  NEARBY  LANDS  259 

to  aid  the  suffering  and  received  an  immediate  mes- 
sage of  appreciation  from  Mexico's  great  execu- 
tive. The  Mexican  relief  work  was  the  last  which 
it  was  permitted  Dr.  Klopsch  to  help,  and  it  was  a 
gratification  to  him  that  the  aid  extended  through 
The  Christian  Herald  should  have  been  to  a  neighbor 
so  friendly  and  so  closely  allied  to  the  United  States 
as  Mexico. 


CHAPTER    XV 

THE   BOWERY   MISSION 

HUMAN  DRIFTWOOD  OF  A  GREAT  CITY ROMANTIC  WAT  IN  WHICH  DR.  KLOP8CH 

BECAME  INTERESTED  IN  THE  MISSION FINANCIAL  RESPONSIBILITY  ASSUMED 

LIFE  BOAT  FOR  MORAL  SHIPWRECKS  —  MRS.  BIRD'S  NOBLE  LABORS  — 

SUPERINTENDENT    HALLIMOND TWENTIETH    ANNIVERSARY A    WOMAN'S 

STORY  OF  THE  THANKSGIVING  DINNER THE  BREAD  LINE PATHOS  OF  A 

FUNERAL CELEBRATED  VISITORS PASTOR  CHARLES  WAGNER'S  VISIT 

HIS  OWN  STORY  OF  A  TYPICAL  AUDIENCE INCIDENTS  OF  DR.  KLOPSCH's 

WORK  AMONG  THE  OUTCASTS  TOLD  BY  ONE  WHO  KNEW PRESIDENT  TAFT's 

VISIT  THE  CROWNING  EVENT  —  HIS  UPLIFTING  TALK  AS  MAN  TO  MAN  — 
"CHRISTIAN  HERALD'S"  COMMENT. 

EVERY  great  city  has  its  human  drift-wood, 
its  wrecks  of  men  cast  up  by  the  tide  of 
misfortune  and  despair.  Hungry  of  body  and 
starved  of  soul,  both  body  and  soul  must  be  fed  for 
their  own  salvation  and  the  good  of  society.  The 
histories  of  these  men  are  a  tragedy.  The  work  of 
rescue,  of  reclamation  and  reformation,  must  be  done 
by  those  in  whom  the  spirit  of  sympathy  is  joined 
with  practical,  everyday  common  sense. 

In  all  his  philanthropic  and  charitable  labors  as 
a  comrade  to  humanity,  doing  a  man's  work  among 
men,  no  chapter  shines  more  brightly  in  the  life- 
work  of  Dr.  Klopsch  than  the  story  of  what  he  did 
for  the  human  drift-wood  of  the  great  city  of  New 
York.  The  means  by  which  he  did  this  was  the 
Bowery  Mission. 

The  history  of  this  remarkable  mission  is  a  simple 
one.  It  had  been  the  wish  of  Jerry  McAuley,  of 

260 


THE  BOWERY  MISSION  261 

the  Water  Street  Mission,  to  establish  a  similar  one 
on  the  Bowery.  The  Rev.  A.  J.  Ruliffson,  and  Mrs. 
Ruliffson,  engaged  in  mission  work  on  the  East  Side, 
often  talked  over  the  subject  with  Mr.  McAuley, 
and  after  much  prayer  and  earnest  thought,  they 
opened  a  mission  in  an  old  dimly  lighted  room  at 
No.  14  Bowery.  Soon  they  found  it  necessary  to 
seek  more  commodious  quarters,  and  a  suitable  build- 
ing was  rented  at  No.  36  Bowery.  During  the  first 
year  Mr.  J.  Ward  Childs  was  Superintendent,  Mr. 
Ruliffson  being  President.  For  fifteen  years  the 
work  of  rescue  was  carried  on  in  the  very  center  of 
vice  and  crime  and  degradation  in  America's  leading 
city.  To  the  Bowery  drifted  the  waifs  and  strays, 
the  wrecks  and  derelicts  of  humanity  from  all  parts 
of  the  world. 

The  romantic  story  of  how  Dr.  Klopsch  had  his 
attention  first  directed  to  the  work  of  the  Mission 
he  never  seemed  to  tire  of  telling.  He  had  been 
with  Dr.  Talmage  on  his  memorable  visit  to  the 
Holy  Land,  and  on  the  return  trip  the  party  called 
at  Smyrna.  On  landing  they  were  met  by  John 
Parkinson,  who  at  that  time  was  superintendent  of 
an  English  speaking  seaman's  mission  at  Smyrna. 
They  accepted  his  invitation  to  visit  the  mission 
hall.  During  the  course  of  the  meeting  Parkin- 
son "gave  his  testimony,"  which  was  to  the  effect 
that  many  years  previously  he  was  a  sailor  and  a 
low-down,  besotted  drunkard  at  that.  One  evening 
in  New  York,  thoroughly  intoxicated,  he  staggered 
into  the  Bowery  Mission,  thinking  it  was  one  of  the 
many  vile  concert  halls  that  then  were  the  chief 


262  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

characteristic  of  that  famous  street.  He  was  taken 
care  of  by  the  mission  workers,  sobered  up,  and 
became  soundly  converted  to  God.  For  some  time 
he  continued  his  seafaring  life,  and  wherever  he 
went  he  lost  no  opportunity  of  telling  of  the  won- 
derful thing  that  happened  him.  In  the  course  of 
a  few  years  he  became  a  seaman's  missionary  and 
ultimately  was  placed  in  charge  of  the  mission  in 
Smyrna. 

;  With  the  death  of  Superintendent  Childs  in  the 
spring  of  1895,  there  came  a  serious  crisis  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  Mission.  For  various  reasons  its  old 
managers  were  unable  to  continue  the  work,  which 
seemed  doomed  to  come  under  purely  secular  control. 
Its  usefulness  was  imperiled,  and  the  question  was 
raised  whether  it  would  not  be  well  to  abandon 
the  work  permanently  and  close  the  Mission.  At 
this  juncture  some  of  its  friends  appealed  to  Dr. 
Klopsch  in  its  behalf,  and  after  a  full  investiga- 
tion he  became  convinced  that  with  new  manage- 
ment, more  earnest  effort,  and  a  full  dependence 
upon  divine  approval,  the  Mission  might  yet  go  on 
triumphantly.  On  April  1,  1895,  he  assumed  the 
care  of  the  Bowery  Mission,  with  all  its  responsi- 
bilities and  its  enormous  power  for  good.  In  de- 
scribing the  scope  of  the  work  at  that  time,  The 
Christian  Herald  said: 

"In  every  city  of  large  population  there  are  many 
men  who,  having  gone  down  step  by  step  in  the 
paths  of  sin,  have  at  last  reached  a  depth  beyond 
which  it  would  seem  impossible  to  go.  They  are 
the  moral  ship-wrecks  who  have  been  swallowed  up 


THE  BOWERY  MISSION  263 

in  the  maelstrom  on  whose  edges  they  dallied  until 
hopelessly  engulfed.  At  last,  ruined  and  forsaken, 
they  are  cast  up  like  wreckage  upon  the  outer. coasts 
of  society  to  be  turned  from  with  loathing  by  their 
fellowmen  as  something  too  utterly  vile  for  recogni- 
tion. They  have  reaped  well-nigh  the  full  harvest 
of  their  sins,  and  it  would  seem  that  nothing  re- 
mained but  a  wretched  close  to  a  career  so  miserable 
and  forlorn.  Many  of  these  poor  stranded  waifs 
have,  by  God's  mercy,  been  cast  up  at  the  doors  of 
the  Bowery  Mission.  Rejected  elsewhere,  they  have 
there  found  a  haven  of  welcome.  Their  poor  cloth- 
ing and  filthy  condition  have  been  the  cause  of  other 
doors  being  shut  in  their  faces,  for  even  in  mission 
work  it  is  customary  to  draw  the  line  at  those  who 
have  fallen  so  low  as  to  make  their  very  touch  con- 
tamination. But  the  Bowery  Mission,  like  a  life- 
boat on  its  merciful  errand,  plunges  down  to  its 
lowest  depths,  for  by  doing  so  it  may  bring  up  some 
poor  sinking  fellow  mortal  into  the  light  of  God's 
love.  Are  they  sick  and  penniless?  It  cares  for 
them  as  tenderly  as  though  they  were  brothers. 
Ragged?  It  is  never  without  a  garment  for  those 
who  need  one  to  shut  out  the  piercing  winds  of 
winter.  Are  they  idle  and  despairing?  It  aids 
them  in  finding  employment." 

When  Dr.  Klopsch  assumed  charge,  he  had  the 
Mission  incorporated.  The  incorporators  were  Rev. 
John  Hall,  T.  DeWitt  Talmage,  Mrs.  Sarah  J.  Bird, 
Rev.  David  J.  Burrell,  Rev.  C.  H.  Mead,  Rev. 
Josiah  Strong,  Mrs.  Amelia  E.  Barr,  Rev.  Louis  E. 
Banks,  Henry  Edward  Rowland,  B.  Fay  Mills,  Rev. 
A.  C.  Dixon,  Rev.  Stephen  Merritt,  Rev.  R.  S.  Mac- 
Arthur,  Rev.  J.  Wilbur  Chapman,  and  Rev.  James 
Everett  King. 


264  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

There  could  be  no  adequate  sketch  of  the  Mission 
without  mention  of  the  work  of  Mrs.  Sarah  J.  Bird, 
"the  Mother  of  the  Bowery  Mission,"  as  she  was 
called,  who  gave  up  the  advantages  of  wealth  and 
ease  to  labor  among  the  outcasts  of  the  city.  Her 
many  years  of  devoted  service  in  rescue  work  form 
one  of  the  brightest  records  of  Christian  effort  in 
the  great  metropolis.  Her  Christmas  tree,  loaded 
with  useful  gifts,  was  for  many  years  an  object  of 
delight  to  the  little  ones  whose  lives  are  usually  so 
joyless.  Her  addresses  to  the  men  and  boys  were 
always  a  powerful  means  of  good. 

The  Thursday  night  gatherings  of  Mrs.  Bird, 
like  those  she  held  on  Sundays,  were  invariably 
crowded.  The  men  who  formed  her  audiences  were 
of  all  ages,  from  the  young  man  a  little  more 
than  a  mere  stripling,  to  the  aged  wanderer  whose 
wrecked  life  is  a  record  of  indulgence  and  wasted 
opportunities.  Some  came  from  the  Bowery  lodg- 
ing houses,  others  from  the  streets,  which  they  had 
walked  until  foot-sore  in  the  vain  search  for  work. 
For  all  there  was  the  same  kind  of  welcome,  a  cup 
of  steaming  coffee  and  a  sandwich  to  appease  the 
cravings  of  hunger.  Mrs.  Bird  herself,  writing  of 
her  work,  said: 

"Sometimes,  as  I  look  down  from  my  platform, 
I  see  some  poor  fellow  kneeling  and  in  anguish  of 
soul  in  front  of  me.  No  one  but  God  knows  the 
fight  some  of  these  poor  fellows  are  having  with 
temptations  from  without  and  from  within,  and 
only  the  mighty  power  of  Jesus  to  save  gives  us 
courage  and  faith  to  see  these  sad  discouraged 


THE  BOWERY  MISSION  265 

souls  struggling  for  life.  These  are  men  who  have 
wandered  from  God  and  home.  They  have  come 
from  every  city  on  the  face  of  the  earth;  if  a  man 
becomes  engulfed  in  sin  in  any  part  of  the  world, 
his  ambition  is  to  get  to  the  Bowery.  This  is  the 
magnet  that  attracts  the  restless  and  vicious  wan- 
derer. These  men  are  often  brought  where  they  are 
surrounded  by  conditions  that  are  beyond  control. 
Parents  and  friends  die,  or  there  are  hard  fathers 
and  unwise  thoughtless  mothers;  the  boy  leaves 
home  and  is  soon  stranded  in  a  cheap  Bowery  lodg- 
ing house.  I  give  the  Gospel  invitation  to  over 
40,000  of  these  lost  men  every  year,  many  of  them 
men  of  fine  education  and  birth." 

When  Dr.  Klopsch  took  charge,  Mrs.  Bird  was 
active  in  her  work,  which  has  continued  uninter- 
ruptedly up  to  the  present  time.  Mr.  John  H.  Way- 
burn  was  installed  as  Superintendent,  and  the  work 
of  the  Mission,  both  on  its  spiritual  and  secular  side, 
was  broadened  in  many  ways.  A  free  dispensary 
was  inaugurated,  new  restaurants  were  provided, 
where  the  poor  could  dine  for  a  nominal  sum,  and 
the  midnight  "bread  line"  became  an  established 
institution.  Dr.  Klopsch  regarded  the  Mission  as 
a  beacon  light  for  lost  men,  and  his  appeals  for 
support  never  failed  to  set  forth  what  he  was  seeking 
to  do  for  these  men.  A  little  poem  which  he  cir- 
culated reflected  this  sentiment.  One  verse  ran: 

Throw  out  the  Life-Line  across  the  dark  wave, 
There  is  a  brother  whom  someone  should  save; 
Somebody's  brother!     Oh,  who,  then  will  dare 
To  throw  out  the  Life-Line,  his  peril  to  share? 


266  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

The  Mission  had  some  ups  and  downs,  and  some 
changes,  and  in  1898  suffered  a  very  destructive  fire. 
Then  new  quarters  were  obtained  and  the  Mission 
was  located  at  No.  227  Bowery,  where  it  now  is. 

In  December,  1899,  Rev.  John  G.  Hallimond,  D.D., 
was  installed  as  Superintendent  amid  great  enthusi- 
asm. Dr.  Hallimond  had  been  connected  with  the 
great  West  London  Mission,  of  which  the  famous 
Rev.  Hugh  Price  Hughes  was  Superintendent.  On 
his  arrival  in  New  York  he  became  private  secretary 
to  Commander  Ballington  Booth  of  the  Salvation 
Army,  and  was  intimately  concerned  in  the  social 
work  of  the  Army.  Later  he  was  identified  with 
the  Volunteers  of  America.  His  experience  espe- 
cially qualified  him  for  the  practical  rescue  work 
that  has  been  the  special  sphere  of  the  Bowery 
Mission. 

The  work  of  the  Mission  was  described  at  the 
twentieth  anniversary  in  January,  1901,  when  special 
exercises  were  held.  The  Rev.  T.  DeWitt  Talmage 
preached  a  remarkable  sermon,  and  then  Superin- 
tendent Hallimond  reviewed  the  work.  He  said: 

"Among  the  rescue  missions  of  the  world,  the 
Bowery  Mission  occupies  a  thoroughly  unique  posi- 
tion. Many  religious  enterprises  have  been  carried 
on  upon  a  much  more  extensive  scale  and  have 
been  of  a  much  more  pretentious  character,  but  for 
a  protracted  and  sustained  soul-saving  work,  few 
institutions  in  the  history  of  the  Christian  Church 
can  furnish  a  record  like  that  of  the  Bowery  Mission. 
For  twenty  years  it  has  stood  in  the  darkest  section 
of  the  city,  holding  out  a  helping  hand  to  those  who 


THE  BOWERY  MISSION  267 

are  about  to  disappear  in  the  black  depths  of  eternal 
despair.  Wonderful  as  the  results  have  been  in 
the  past,  the  opportunity  is  now  presented  for  im- 
mensely enlarging  and  strengthening  its  activities. 
For  twenty  years  the  work  has  been  carried  on 
unostentatiously.  It  was  inaugurated  by  humble 
but  consecrated  people;  and  all  along  it  has  been 
supported  by  Christian  workers  of  limited  means 
from  all  denominations.  For  the  last  five  years, 
especially  during  the  time  it  has  been  under  the 
auspices  of  The  Christian  Herald,  the  funds  with 
two  notable  exceptions  (Dr.  Klopsch  and  Mrs.  Bird) 
have  come  from  a  multitude  of  small  contributors 
all  over  the  United  States  and  Canada  —  from  poor 
men,  themselves  redeemed  in  the  Mission;  from 
fathers  in  the  far-away  antipodes,  sending  thank- 
offerings  for  the  reclamation  of  their  sons.  Many 
a  time  a  tear-stained  letter  arrives  from  a  sorrowing 
mother  enclosing  twenty -five  or  fifty  cents,  and  ask- 
ing us  to  pray  for  her  wandering  boy,  who,  she 
hopes,  may  drift  into  our  doors  and  come  under  our 
influence.  This  is  the  kind  of  support  the  Mission 
has  received  during  the  past  twenty  years." 

The  work  described  by  Superintendent  Halli- 
mond  on  the  twentieth  anniversary  has  continued 
since,  broadening  on  the  industrial  side,  and  with 
new  fields  opened  up.  It  is,  however,  in  the  inci- 
dents of  the  Mission  from  day  to  day  and  night  to 
night  and  year  to  year  that  the  spirit  in  which  the 
work  is  carried  on  and  the  rescue  and  reformation 
accomplished,  as  well  as  the  brightening  of  clouded 
lives,  are  shown.  There  is,  for  example,  Mrs.  Bird's 


268  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

Christmas  tree.  Then  there  is  the  Thanksgiving  on 
the  East  Side.  Here  is  an  extract  from  a  description 
of  an  East  Side  Thanksgiving  at  the  Bowery  Mission, 
by  a  well-known  writer: 

"Already  a  note  is  in  the  air  telling  of  the  Thanks- 
giving Dinner  to  be  given  at  the  Bowery  Mission 
for  the  men  who  tramp  that  famous  thoroughfare. 
Here  for  many  years  these  homeless  and  hungry  men 
have  been  bidden  to  a  feast  such  as  many  of  them 
never  have  seen  before,  much  less  enjoyed.  Turkey 
and  all  the  *  fixings/  hot  coffee,  fruit,  and  big  slices 
of  bread  in  abundance,  serve  to  fill  empty  stomachs, 
while  words  of  cheer  from  the  good  men  and  women, 
who  have  their  hearts  in  this  mission  work,  fall  like 
dew  upon  the  parched  hearts  before  them. 

"  I  found  a  great  crowd  of  men  of  all  ages  and  many 
nationalities  waiting  for  the  doors  to  be  opened. 
A  word,  and  the  crowd  made  way;  a  tap,  and  the 
door  opened.  I  slipped  in  and  my  day  at  the  Bowery 
Mission  had  begun.  There  was  a  kitchen  prayer 
meeting,  and  then  morning  service  in  the  big  hall. 
In  the  few  moments  before  the  meeting  began  in  the 
hall,  Mr.  Hallimond  told  in  the  most  interesting 
manner,  with  his  heart  in  the  telling,  so  many  things, 
that  I  scarcely  know  where  to  begin  my  story,  and 
having  begun,  know  still  less  where  to  stop.  'You 
must  see  Mother  Bird,'  he  said.  I  must  also  meet 
the  quartette,  and  be  introduced  to  the  organist. 

"On  a  platform,  facing  hundreds  of  men,  I  sat 
with  dear  Mrs.  Bird,  who  conducted  the  meeting. 
The  one  dominant  word  was  love,  heard  through 
prayer,  reading  of  the  Scriptures,  singing  and  talking. 
I  was  impressed  as  never  before  with  the  common 
sense  of  religion.  There  sat  hundreds  of  them,  these 
men  of  the  Bowery,  a  story  written  on  each  face, 
many  telling  of  tragic  ending,  not  far  off,  unless  a 


THE  BOWERY  MISSION  269 

helping  hand  was  stretched  forth  to  save.  Just  here 
comes  in  the  practical  part  of  the  Bowery  Mis- 
sion, as  a  hungry  man  cannot  be  expected  to  listen 
very  patiently  to  religious  teaching  or  advice,  be  it 
ever  so  good.  He  wants  something  to  eat,  and  he 
gets  it  here  —  a  big  cup  of  hot  coffee  and  a  sandwich 
so  thick  that  a  *  Bowery  barker*  could  hardly  open 
his  jaws  wide  enough  to  accommodate  it  unless  the 
slices  were  separated.  How  many  come  just  for 
the  coffee  and  the  sandwich,  it  would  be  hard  to  tell, 
but  that  a  world  of  good  has  been  done  by  this 
Mission,  and  a  multitude  of  men  saved  from  destruc- 
tion, is  a  matter  of  simple  fact.  How  much  the  hot 
coffee  may  have  to  do  with  the  preliminary  work  of 
salvation  among  these  poor  wayfarers,  it  matters 
not,  so  that  they  are  comforted  sufficiently  to  even 
think  one  straight  wholesome  thought. 

"The  testimonies  given  by  those  who  have  been 
saved  by  the  Mission's  help  being  extended  to  them 
when  they  had  not  a  friend  upon  earth,  must  have 
made  a  deep  impression  upon  the  men  to  whom 
they  were  talking.  The  members  of  the  quartette, 
who  sang,  and  others,  told  their  stories,  differing 
only  in  detail.  They  were  drunken  and  miserable, 
forsaken  by  their  friends  who  stuck  by  them  while 
a  penny  was  left  to  treat  them,  but  dropped  them 
when  all  was  spent.  Reduced  to  the  last  extremity, 
sick,  hungry  and  cold,  they  had  wandered  up  and 
down  the  Bowery.  Discouraged,  defiant,  hard  of 
heart,  they  had  drifted  into  the  Mission." 

Another  incident  was  of  the  "bread  line."  There 
was  a  surprise  in  store  when  one  cold  night  Super- 
intendent Hallimond  announced  that  he  had  ten 
cents  to  present  to  each  man  to  enable  him  to  pro- 
cure a  night's  lodging.  This  donation,  the  Super- 
intendent told  them,  had  come  from  a  man  who 


270  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

himself  had  been  on  the  "bread  line"  just  three  or 
four  weeks  previously,  but  who  had  since  become 
possessed  of  a  small  fortune  of  $1,000.  One  hundred 
dollars  of  this  sum  he  had  donated  for  the  relief  of 
such  of  the  "down  and  outs"  as  were  on  the  "bread 
line"  on  that  bitterly  cold  night. 

And  then  there  are  the  Bowery  Mission  funerals. 
Here  is  an  account  of  one,  taken  from  a  New  York 
paper: 

A  BOWERY  MISSION  .FUNERAL 

(From  the  New  York  Sun) 

Henry  McCluskey,  an  old  man  who  died  in  the  Bowery 
Mission  last  Sunday  night  (Nov.  27),  while  service  was  being 
held,  was  buried  from  the  Mission  yesterday.1  It  is  said  that 
he  attended  every  meeting  held  there  for  the  last  five  years. 
On  Sunday  night  the  place  was  so  crowded  that  he  had  to  sit 
on  the  stairs  leading  to  the  second  floor.  During  the  singing 
of  a  hymn  he  fell  from  the  stairs  and  was  found  to  be  dead. 
McCluskey  was  a  distinguished  looking  old  man.  Long  before 
the  service  began  the  benches  were  filled  with  men.  A  couple 
of  Salvation  Army  lassies  sat  on  the  platform.  Mrs.  Sarah  J. 
Bird,  or  "Mother"  Bird,  as  she  is  called,  who  leads  many  of 
the  Bowery  meetings,  explained  that  the  funeral  would  be 
simple. 

"We  might  have  bought  him  flowers,"  she  said,  "but  it  would 
have  been  a  mockery.  Just  these  few  violets  will  do." 

"If  you  could  only  see  with  a  clearer  vision,"  said  the  Rev. 
Stephen  Merritt  after  the  congregation  had  sung,  "you  would 
find  that  our  dead  brother  is  now  at  rest  in  Abraham's  bosom. 
I  hope  that  I  will  see  you  all  again  in  a  better  land.  You  will 
all  be  there,  for  no  black  sheep  will  remain  among  you.  You 
will  be  washed  whiter  than  snow. " 

One  of  the  Mission  workers  sang,  "  And  when  I  Think  of  the 

1  The  poor  old  man,  who  was  destitute,  was  buried  by  the  Mission. 


THE  BOWERY  MISSION  271 

Home  Land  my  Eyes  are  Filled  with  Tears."  One  of  the 
undertaker's  assistants  sprinkled  Mother  Bird's  violets  upon 
the  casket,  and  after  the  congregation  had  filed  past,  it  was 
carried  away. 

Sometimes  there  are  the  entertainments  provided 
by  those  at  the  other  end  of  the  social  ladder.  There 
was,  for  example,  one  evening  in  January,  1908,  the 
concert  by  the  members  of  the  Amateur  Concert 
Club,  composed  exclusively  of  ladies  of  the  most 
prominent  families  in  New  York  society.  It  was  a 
piteously  wet  night.  Rain  and  sleet  swirled  down 
upon  the  sidewalks  and  flooded  the  gutters,  but  this 
was  not  sufficient  to  prevent  an  enormous  crowd  of 
men  gathering.  Very  punctually  the  procession  of 
automobiles  arrived  and  deposited  their  fair  occu- 
pants, and  the  concert  began.  A  physiological  stu- 
dent would  have  found  a  most  engrossing  study  in 
the  faces  of  the  poor  beaten,  baffled,  discouraged 
men  as  they  listened.  "I  saw,"  said  Superintendent 
Hallimond,  "many  a  lip  quiver.  When  Miss  Gallard 
played  on  the  harp  the  simple  strains  of  'Home, 
Sweet  Home/  there  were  many  men  who  bowed  their 
heads  and  wept." 

The  Bowery  Mission  has  attracted  visitors  from 
all  over  the  world,  not  merely  curiosity-seekers,  but 
those  who  feel  a  real  interest  in  its  work,  and  whose 
presence  offers  cheer  and  hope  to  the  derelicts  of 
humanity.  Once  it  was  Countess  Adelaide  Schim- 
melmann,  the  titled  evangelist,  who  told  the  story  of 
her  own  life  at  the  German  Court. 

Then  there  was  Helen  Gould,  in  her  noble  work 
of  uplifting  the  unfortunate,  who  wrote  warm  words 


272  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

of  praise  of  the  Mission.  And  there  were  countless 
other  visitors,  may  of  them  of  national  and  even 
international  fame. 

Perhaps  one  of  the  most  significant  of  all  the  visits 
was  paid  by  Pastor  Charles  Wagner,  the  famous 
French  preacher,  whose  advocacy  of  the  "Simple 
Life"  appealed  so  powerfully  to  President  Roosevelt. 
It  was  during  his  visit  to  New  York  in  the  early 
winter  of  1904.  He  had  engagements  in  the  upper 
part  of  the  city  that  evening,  but  he  had  promised 
Dr.  Klopsch  to  come  to  the  Mission,  and  had  ex- 
pressed a  desire  to  see  the  "bread  line."  The  night 
was  bitterly  cold.  A  little  before  midnight,  when 
the  hall  was  so  full  that  scarcely  another  man  could 
be  squeezed  through  the  doorway,  and  the  "bread 
line"  had  already  begun  to  form,  there  rolled  up  a 
carriage,  and  from  it  emerged  Dr.  Klopsch,  quickly 
followed  by  Pastor  Wagner,  Dr.  Koenig,  and  Mr. 
DeBrunoff.  The  story  of  that  visit  was  told  by  The 
Christian  Herald: 

"The  great  majority  of  our  men  who  heard  Charles 
Wagner  the  other  night,  had  been  seated  in  the  hall 
for  over  five  hours,  waiting  for  him,  as,  owing  to  his 
numerous  engagements,  we  were  unable  to  announce 
the  exact  hour  at  which  he  would  speak.  He  had 
expressed  a  desire  to  see  our  famous  "bread  line," 
which  begins  to  form  a  little  after  midnight,  waiting 
for  the  opening  of  the  doors  at  1  o'clock,  A.M.  We, 
therefore,  announced  a  meeting  which  would  begin 
at  12  o'clock.  Subsequently  it  was  found  that  he 
would  arrive  earlier  in  the  evening,  but  too  late  to 
speak  at  our  ordinary  night  meeting.  Thus  it  came 
to  pass  that  on  Monday  evening,  November  28,  we 
held  our  longest  evening  meeting  on  record. 


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"But  the  men  were  very  patient.  A  few  of  the 
worn-out  ones  fell  asleep,  and  for  once  we  did  not 
disturb  them.  The  night  was  a  bitterly  cold  one, 
so  that  we  could  only  open  the  doors  and  windows  for 
ventilating  purposes  at  short  intervals,  and,  in  con- 
sequence, the  atmosphere  was  conducive  to  sleep; 
but  the  majority  kept  bravely  awake.  The  time  was 
pleasantly  spent  in  singing  our  stirring  hymns  to  the 
accompaniment  of  both  organ  and  piano,  in  testi- 
monies, and  in  occasional  exhortations  thrown  in 
by  the  Superintendent  and  the  regular  leader  of 
the  evening,  Mr.  Simon  Trenwith,  our  financial 
secretary. 

"At  about  11.30,  when  the  hall  was  so  full  that 
scarcely  another  man  could  be  squeezed  through  the 
doorway,  and  the  "bread  line"  had  already  begun  to 
form,  there  rolled  up  a  carriage,  and  from  it  emerged 
Dr.  Klopsch,  energetic  and  happy  looking,  quickly 
followed  by  Pastor  Wagner,  Dr.  Koenig,  and  M. 
DeBrunoff. 

"It  is  needless  to  say  that  our  Bowery  crowd 
scanned  most  eagerly  the  face  of  the  famous  Paris 
pastor,  when  once  he  had  become  seated  on  the  plat- 
form. A  few  moments  more,  and  the  great  audience 
was  on  its  feet,  singing  as  lustily  as  though  it  were 
just  beginning  its  Sunday  morning  service  the  hymn 
that  has  become  so  popular  with  them,  'Keep  Step 
with  the  Master.'  Then,  after  a  few  words  of  intro- 
duction from  the  Superintendent,  the  author  of  "The 
Simple  Life"  stood  with  compressed  lips,  grasping  the 
brass  rail  in  front  of  him,  face  to  face  with  what  he 
afterwards  described  as  the  most  remarkable  audience 
he  had  ever  addressed.  A  tear  glistened  in  his  eye 
as  he  began,  and  his  deep,  rich  voice  trembled  with 
unwonted  emotion.  He  had  been  eagerly  scanning 
the  faces  of  the  men,  and  now  that  the  time  had  come 
for  him  to  speak  to  them,  it  seemed  as  though  any 


274  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

language,  much  less  one  that  he  had  only  mastered 
within  recent  months,  would  utterly  fail  to  convey 
the  wealth  of  profound  sympathy  that  had  suddenly 
surged  into  his  heart  for  these  suffering  brethren 
of  his.  But  the  words  came  at  last,  and  wonderful 
words  they  were.  There  was  no  cant,  no  insincerity, 
no  patronage  in  this  man,  who  could  say,  as,  surely, 
they  had  never  heard  any  one  else  say  so  strikingly 
before,  *I  give  my  love  to  you.  I  greet  you  my 
brethren  —  I  sympathize  with  you.  I  am  of  the 
people;  I  always  will  be  of  the  people,  as  I  always 
will  be  a  boy.  Tell  me  what  it  is  that  makes  you 
look  so  sad?'  There  was  something  in  this  that 
reminded  these  poor  battered  and  beaten  men  of 
what  they  had  heard  so  many  times  of  One,  who, 
nineteen  hundred  years  ago,  was  so  gladly  heard  by 
the  common  people. 

"  Charles  Wagner  did  not  need  to  be  told  that  these 
men  had  sinned.  The  marks  of  the  beast  were  upon 
them.  The  badges  of  servitude  to  the  evil  one  were 
prominent  on  every  hand.  But  the  one  great  fact 
that  seemed  to  burn  itself  into  his  very  innermost 
consciousness  was  that  they  were  suffering,  they  were 
down,  they  were  away  from  home.  Call  them  back! 
Tell  them  that  God  loves  them! 

"Oh,  how  pathetic  were  the  words,  *I  am  here  as 
your  friend.  Would  that  I  could  press  the  hand  of 
each  one  of  you.  Would  that  I  could  press  the  heart. 
We  need  each  other  —  you  and  I.  We  have  to  love 
each  other. 

"When  Pastor  Wagner  finished,  the  audience  broke 
into  song  again: 

Wonderful  words,  beautiful  words, 
Beautiful  words  of  Life, 

and  as  this  appropriate  chorus  still  lingered  in  the 
ears  of  all,  Dr.  Klopsch  rose,  and  in  appropriate 


THE  BOWERY  MISSION  275 

terms  thanked  the  great  simple-minded,  loving- 
hearted  teacher  for  the  message  he  had  brought. 

"Then  came  the  first  instalment  of  the  breakfast, 
for  it  was  now  close  on  1  o'clock.  No  sooner  did 
the  mission  workers  commence  distributing  the  rolls 
and  coffee  than  Mr.  Wagner  made  his  way  down  into 
the  midst  of  the  motley  crowd.  Eager  hands  were 
stretched  out  to  him,  which  he  just  as  eagerly  gripped 
in  his  big,  strong,  kindly  grasp. 

"Guided  by  Dr.  Klopsch,  Mr.  Wagner  and  his 
friends  then  proceeded  through  the  Mission  kitchen 
to  the  basement  hall,  where,  by  the  time  they  arrived, 
the  great  throng  of  shivering,  hungry  men  were 
streaming  in  in  one  unbroken  line.  There  was  little 
opportunity  here  for  personal  intercourse  with  the 
men,  for  it  is  always  a  scene  of  bustling  activity, 
so,  after  a  brief  survey  of  the  pathetic  scene,  Pastor 
Wagner,  greatly  moved,  ascended  to  the  upper  hall 
again,  saying,  as  he  did  so,  *A  strange  sight!  A 
strange  night!  A  strange  city!" 

After  his  return  to  Europe,  Pastor  Wagner  wrote 
his  own  account  of  his  visit  to  the  Bowery  Mission 
and  the  impression  it  made  upon  him.  It  appeared 
in  his  volume  entitled  "American  Impressions." 
Here  is  an  extract  from  his  story: 

"I  sat  awhile  in  a  sort  of  soul  stupor  until,  for- 
tunately, the  organ  began  to  play,  and  the  people 
to  sing.  Then  I  could  observe  this  accumulation  of 
the  dregs  of  nations.  There  was  not  a  single  woman, 
but  every  man  bore  the  marks  of  defeat;  not  as 
though  routed  in  some  late  battle,  and  still  bewil- 
dered by  dreadful  visions  of  the  fight;  but  van- 
quished long  ago  and  too  nearly  trampled  out  and 
annihilated  now  to  remember.  Their  faces  repre- 
sented types  of  every  country,  at  the  same  time 


276  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

showing  each  of  them  to  be  a  man  without  a  coun- 
try. They  had  fallen  without  the  meshes  that  enclose 
the  prudent  among  their  fellow  countrymen,  into  the 
great  dragnet  of  misfortune,  and  there  they  lay,  vic- 
tims of  their  idleness,  their  drunkenness,  their  want 
of  character  or  the  brutal  circumstances  against 
which  the  little  skiff  wherein  they  had  embarked 
their  life  was  shattered. 

"From  my  place  I  made  them  personal  visits,  ob- 
serving them  carefully,  one  by  one,  and  among  these 
hundreds  of  wrecks  of  men,  there  was  not  one  bad 
face.  There  was  diversity  under  the  sordid  uniform- 
ity of  rags;  there  were  bearded  men  and  smooth- 
faced, bald  men  and  hirsute,  and  a  disproportionate 
number  were  one-eyed.  By  how  many  different 
paths  had  their  lives,  once  fresh  and  full  of  hope, 
come  to  this  downfall,  this  demolition,  that  was  con- 
densing and  confusing  them  in  a  dark  residue  at 
the  bottom  of  the  social  alembic?  They  seemed 
to  me  so  great  in  their  absolute  nothingness,  that 
suddenly  the  whole  of  respectable  middle-class  ex- 
istence was  obscured  in  their  shadow,  and  some 
invisible  hand  removed  from  me  all  the  store  upon 
which  a  man  ordinarily  draws  when  he  speaks  to 
his  fellows  who  have  a  bed  to  lie  on  and  a  table 
at  which  to  sit;  who  carry  about  them  that  pass- 
port called  money,  and  are  animated  by  the  breath 
of  that  soul  of  the  social  life  —  credit.  Out  of 
sympathy,  I  felt  myself  reduced  to  utter  helpless- 
ness, to  a  humanity  stript,  wounded,  and  miserable, 
until  I  became  their  equal.  And  when  I  rose  to 
call  them  brothers  I  saw  in  the  midst  of  them  the 


THE  BOWERY  MISSION  277 

spirit  of  suffering  humanity,  the  Son  of  Man,  who 
had  not  where  to  lay  his  head.  Never  was  I  more 
deeply  conscious  of  strength  from  the  power  to  speak 
in  His  name;  and  never  had  the  judgment,  at  once 
merciful  and  inexorable,  that  He  pronounced  upon 
our  vanities  and  the  hollowness  of  our  comfortable 
Christianity,  seemed  more  scathing.  That  night  I 
learned  one  of  those  lessons  that  fill  the  soul  with 
grief,  with  anguish. 

"Had  these  men  any  knowledge  of  the  preternat- 
ural effect  they  made  upon  me?  Evidently  not;  but 
they  listened  with  good-will  to  what  I  said  aloud,  as 
I  listened  in  silence  to  their  silent  speech.  Then  I 
stepped  down  from  the  platform  and  begged  them  to 
show,  by  their  uplifted  hands,  who  among  them  spoke 
English,  French  or  German,  the  only  languages  in 
which  I  could  make  myself  understood,  and  I  con- 
versed with  them  individually.  Their  short  biogra- 
phies, all  ending  badly,  reminded  me  of  a  succession 
of  evil  tidings,  one  report  after  another  announcing 
a  new  catastrophe. 

"As  the  hour  for  closing  approached,  cups  of 
coffee  were  passed  along  the  ranks,  and  there  was 
a  generous  distribution  of  bread  when  the  men  went 
out.  'Where  will  they  sleep?'  I  asked  myself,  as 
I  watched  the  dark  columns  disperse  in  the  foggy 
night;  and  a  vision  of  them  pursued  me  —  a  lamen- 
table and  distressful  vision  of  them  holding  before 
my  mind  the  huge  question  of  vagabondage." 

Superintendent  Hallimond  thus  feelingly  reviews 
Dr.  Klopsch's  noble  services  in  connection  with 
the  Mission: 


278  LIFE-WORK  OP  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

"For  fifteen  years  Dr.  Klopsch,  by  pen  and  tongue, 
and  through  the  instrumentality  of  The  Christian 
Herald  columns,  bravely  and  enthusiastically  upheld 
the  interests  of  this  work.  Sometimes  under  the 
most  disheartening  circumstances,  as  when,  for  in- 
stance, the  Mission  took  fire  in  March  1898,  and 
eleven  lives  were  lost;  but  always  in  the  most 
cheerful,  patient  and  willing  manner  he  bore  the 
heavy  burden. 

"No  one  could  read  the  appeals  for  the  Mission 
which  always  came  from  his  own  pen  at  Thanks- 
giving and  Christmas  times,  without  realizing  how 
vividly  he  realized  his  responsibility  in  the  concern, 
and  with  what  burning  earnestness  he  watched  over 
its  interests.  'If  God  has  prospered  you,  give  a 
mite  to  this  grand  work.  It  is  very  near  my 
heart.  I  pray  daily  for  the  men  and  boys  at  the 
Bowery  Mission.'  Misfortune  has  overtaken  them, 
disappointment  has  been  their  lot,  and  now  in  their 
despair  they  appeal  to  the  Bowery  Mission.  We 
cannot  and  must  not  turn  them  away.  While  these 
boys  are  with  us,  some,  oh,  so  homesick,  we  must 
look  after  them.'  These  were  some  of  the  charac- 
teristic sentences  found  in  his  annual  letters  to  the 
members  of  his  large  Christian  Herald  family.  They 
could  not,  and  did  not,  fail  to  meet  with  the  generous 
and  wholehearted  responses  that  enabled  him  and 
the  Mission  to  carry  on  the  work  with  such  unprece- 
dented success. 

"Dr.  Klopsch,  blessed  as  he  was  with  such  keen 
business  acumen,  seemed  to  realize  intuitively, 
rather  than  by  academic  study,  the  economic  con- 


THE  BOWERY  MISSION  279 

ditions  that  made  such  a  place  as  the  Bowery  in- 
evitable. Unconsciously  to  himself,  perhaps,  the 
pressure  of  these  thoughts  would  force  themselves 
into  his  appeals.  On  one  occasion  he  wrote,  'The 
men  and  boys  of  the  Bowery  are  the  ambitious  sons 
of  reputable  parents,  who  started  out  with  high 
hopes  of  making  their  future  in  the  great  city.  The 
peaceful  little  country  town  was  too  slow  for  them, 
for  at  best  it  seemed  to  promise  but  a  humdrum 
existence.  Once  out  in  the  metropolis  of  the  Western 
world,  they  hoped  soon  to  send  word  to  Father  and 
Mother  that  success  had  attended  their  efforts,  that 
they  were  on  their  way  to  a  fortune,  and  in  a  posi- 
tion to  contribute  to  the  comfort  of  the  old  folks 
at  home.  Unfortunately  they  did  not  realize  their 
fond  hopes,  and  now  they  are  ashamed  to  write 
home;  and  while  Mother  is  singing,  'Oh,  Where  is 
my  Wandering  Boy  Tonight?'  and  Father  is  pray- 
ing for  the  return  of  the  prodigal,  and  sisters  are 
anxiously  awaiting  his  coming,  the  poor  fellow  is 
walking  off  the  heels  of  his  boots  in  vain  search 
for  employment,  day  by  day  becoming  more  and 
more  shabby,  until,  having  lost  faith  in  himself,  he 
is  now  ashamed  to  write,  ashamed  to  return/ 

"Dr.  Klopsch  made  it  his  almost  invariable 
custom  to  attend  the  Mission,  with  the  members 
of  his  family,  on  Thanksgiving  evening.  He  never 
failed  to  manifest  the  same  heart  interest  in  the 
poor,  homeless  men  gathered  together  within  the 
hospitable  walls  of  the  Mission,  that  he  showed  in 
all  his  writings.  His  short,  earnest  addresses,  were 
always  of  the  most  appropriate  and  helpful  character. 


280  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

*  Never  despair/  *  Cheer  up/  'It's  never  too  late  to 
mend/  'God,  able  to  save  to  the  uttermost/  were 
familiar  topics  with  him,  and  many  a  saved  man, 
who  has  risen  from  Bowery  wretchedness  and  despair 
to  a  rehabilitated  manhood,  will  thank  God  for  the 
inspiration  given  him  through  the  words  of  this  able 
and  devoted  man. 

"It  was  not  only,  however,  his  interest  in  the  out- 
cast men  of  the  Bowery  as  a  mass,  that  character- 
ized Dr.  Klopsch.  He  was  one  of  the  busiest  of  men, 
but  never  hesitated,  whenever  any  individual  case 
of  need  was  brought  to  his  attention,  to  bestow  upon 
it  that  minute,  detailed  care  which  his  business 
associates  were  so  familiar  with  in  The  Christian 
Herald  office. 

"I  remember  having  a  very  difficult  case  to  deal 
with.  A  young  professional  man  came  to  me  for 
advice  and  help.  It  was  a  sad,  pathetic  story,  a 
story  of  sudden  temptation,  yielding,  and  —  sin. 
As  he  proceeded  with  his  relation  of  it,  I  felt  more 
and  more  my  own  helplessness.  The  complications 
were  serious,  threatening,  bewildering.  No  time 
was  to  be  lost.  His  broken-hearted  wife  and  six 
months  old  baby  were  awaiting  his  return  at  a 
neighboring  hotel.  An  officer  of  the  law  might  at 
any  moment  step  in  and  arrest  him.  The  man  was 
desperate  and  panic-stricken.  Very  reluctantly  I 
went  to  Dr.  Klopsch.  I  felt  guilty  of  a  sense  of 
unfairness  in  asking  this  busy  man  to  accept  any 
share  of  a  burden  which  properly  fell  to  my  lot  as 
superintendent  of  the  Mission,  but  I  was  baffled 
and  nervous,  so  I  disturbed  him  in  the  midst  of  a 


THE  BOWERY  MISSION  281 

busy  day,  unusually  so  even  for  him.  I  repeated 
the  story  to  him.  He  listened  patiently,  but  even 
while  I  talked,  that  keen  intuitive  faculty  he  pos- 
sessed had  gone  to  the  heart  of  things,  and  he  had 
formed  his  plans.  He  propounded  a  few  quick, 
incisive  questions  about  dates,  names,  addresses, 
etc.,  all  of  them  pertaining  to  a  far  distant  city. 
Then  he  sprang  to  the  telephone,  and  for  two  hours 
kept  the  wires  of  the  long  distance  hot,  eventually 
straightening  matters  out  by  assuming  a  certain 
financial  liability  himself,  and  sending  the  young 
fellow  on  his  way  a  free  and  hopeful  man  again. 

"On  one  cold,  wintry  morning  Dr.  Klopsch 
visited  the  'bread  line.'  The  poor,  shivering,  ill- 
clad  men  were  trooping  in  for  that  hot  coffee  and 
rolls.  A  respectable  looking,  but  sad-faced  old  man 
stood  just  within  the  door,  peering  eagerly  into 
the  face  of  each  man  as  he  crossed  the  threshold 
and  stepped  into  the  light.  Dr.  Klopsch,  scenting 
a  tragedy,  spoke  kindly  to  him,  and  found  that  he 
was  a  Father  in  search  of  his  prodigal  son.  For 
over  seven  years  the  boy  had  been  a  wanderer  from 
home.  News  had  come  that  he  was  in  New  York 
City  and  penniless.  The  man  had  read  of  the 
'bread  line'  at  the  Mission,  and  had  said,  'If  my 
boy  is  destitute,  that's  a  very  likely  place  to  find 
him  at,'  so  he  came.  Dr.  Klopsch  stood  at  the  old 
man's  side  during  the  whole  of  the  breakfast,  and 
when  the  line  had  passed  in  grim  review  before  them 
and  the  boy  was  not  there,  it  was  he  who  spoke 
comforting  words  to  the  disappointed  parent.  By 
that  time  it  was  after  2  o'clock  in  the  morning, 


282  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

but  in  his  characteristically  energetic  manner  he 
set  machinery  at  work  for  a  thorough  inquiry 
amongst  the  lodging  houses  of  the  Bowery.  Within 
a  few  hours  the  search  was  successful.  The  lost  was 
found.  The  Father's  heart  was  gladdened,  and  an 
early  Sunday  morning  train  took  him  and  the  recov- 
ered prodigal  back  to  their  home  in  New  England. 

"A  man  came  to  the  *  bread  line'  at  another  time 
in  an  almost  unspeakable  condition  of  need.  Whilst 
under  the  influence  of  drink  he  had  fallen  from  a 
trolley  car  and  had  broken  his  leg.  He  was  taken 
to  Bellevue  Hospital,  treated,  and  kept  there  for  a 
time.  The  crowded  conditions  of  the  city  hospital 
that  winter,  however,  obliged  the  authorities  to  dis- 
charge him,  whilst  he  still  had  the  plaster  cast  on 
his  leg,  and  only  able  to  walk  on  crutches.  There 
he  was,  on  a  bitter  winter  night,  without  shelter, 
without  food,  without  friends,  and  —  a  helpless 
cripple.  Such  a  case,  even  among  the  thousands 
of  needy  cases  clamoring  for  treatment,  demanded 
special  help.  Fortunately  for  the  man,  Dr.  Klopsch 
was  again  visiting  the  Mission.  At  once  he  became 
interested.  The  man  was  taken  to  the  Memorial 
House,  an  adjunct  of  the  Mission,  and  cared  for 
many  weeks.  Then  he  became  an  employee  and 
for  several  years  has  lived  a  consistent  and  useful 
life  amongst  his  fellow  men." 

The  crowning  event  in  the  history  of  the  Mission 
was  the  visit  of  President  Taft.  It  was  given  to 
Dr.  Klopsch  to  see,  before  his  life-work  ended,  this 
momentous  event,  the  Chief  Executive  of  one  of 
the  greatest  Christian  nations  on  earth  standing 


THE  BOWERY  MISSION  283 

before  these  wrecks  of  men,  speaking  to  them  as  man 
to  man,  as  brother  to  brother.  It  was  an  occasion 
which  was  without  parallel. 

President  Taft  had  heard  much  of  the  work  of  the 
Bowery  Mission  in  connection  with  Dr.  Klopsch's 
other  philanthropies.  He  had  promised  that  on  the 
first  occasion  he  would  visit  it.  It  was  on  the  night 
of  Monday,  December  13,  1909,  when,  after  address- 
ing a  mass  meeting  in  Carnegie  Hall,  he  was  whirled 
down  in  his  automobile  to  the  Bowery  in  the  midst 
of  a  heavy  rain-storm. 

The  account  of  the  President's  visit  and  of  his 
brief  address  is  taken  from  The  Christian  Herald. 

PRESIDENT  TAFT  AT  THE  BOWERY  MISSION 

A  NIGHT  VISIT  IN  A  POURING   RAIN  AND  A  CHEERING 
MESSAGE    TO    THE   UNEMPLOYED 

Monday,  Dec.  13,  1909,  will  be  a  memorable  day  in  the 
history  of  the  Bowery  Mission.  President  Taft,  who  had  been 
speaking  at  a  mass  meeting  in  Carnegie  Hall,  at  the  conclusion 
of  that  meeting  was  whirled  downtown  in  his  automobile  to 
the  Bowery.  The  Presidential  party,  who  followed,  occupied 
several  Stearns  taxicabs,  which  made  most  excellent  tune  in 
spite  of  the  heaviest  rain-storm  the  city  had  known  in  many 
months. 

It  was  nearly  11  o'clock  P.M.  when  they  reached  the  Mission. 
Uniformed  police  and  detectives  in  plain  clothes  guarded  all 
the  entrances.  Everything,  however,  was  quiet  and  orderly 
and  the  guardians  of  the  peace  were  themselves  deeply  interested 
spectators  of  the  proceedings. 

The  usual  Gospel  service  was  in  progress  when  the  autos 
reached  the  rear  entrance,  and  when  President  Taft  stepped 
from  his  machine  he  heard  the  big  audience  of  Bowery  men 
singing  the  Mission's  favorite  hymn,  "I'm  Holding  On,"  to 


284  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

the  accompaniment  of  organ  and  piano.  As  he  passed  through 
the  hallway  and  came  upon  the  platform  a  tremendous  burst 
of  applause  greeted  him,  which  continued  several  minutes, 
the  President  bowing  and  smiling  to  the  enthusiastic  men  before 
him. 

On  the  platform  beside  the  President  were  Dr.  Louis  Klopsch, 
the  President  of  the  Bowery  Mission;  Rev.  Mr.  Hallimond, 
Superintendent;  "Mother"  Bird,  Bishop  Darlington  of  Harris- 
burg,  Dr.  Ferdinand  Iglehart,  Mrs.  Klopsch,  Mrs.  Hallimond, 
Harry  Steele  Morrison,  and  a  number  of  others. 

After  another  "three  rousing  cheers  for  the  President  of  the 
United  States,"  called  for  by  Dr.  Klopsch,  had  been  given  with 
an  energy  and  volume  of  sound  that  made  Mr.  Taft's  smile 
broaden,  Superintendent  Hallimond  told  the  men  briefly  that 
then*  distinguished  guest  had  a  message  for  them.  The  Presi- 
dent arose  and  faced  the  men  of  the  Bowery.  For  a  moment 
he  seemed  to  scan  the  faces  individually,  then  he  spoke  in  a 
clear  and  distinct  voice,  as  follows: 

"My  Friends!  I  am  just  about  as  much  surprised  at  being 
here  as  you  are  at  seeing  me.  I  had  a  note  from  your  bene- 
factor, Dr.  Klopsch,  asking  me  to  come,  after  the  meeting  at 
Carnegie  Hall,  to  the  Mission  which  he  has  established  in  the 
Bowery. 

"Now,  I  have  known  Dr.  Klopsch  personally  not  very  long; 
but  I  have  known  him  for  a  long  while  in  the  way  that  perhaps 
you  do,  by  what  he  has  done.  [Cheers.] 

"It  has  been  my  fortune  in  life  to  be  a  good  deal  of  a  sort  of 
a  figurehead.  Some  men  do  the  work,  while  others  are  figure- 
heads, and  nature  has  developed  me  in  such  a  way  that  I  fill 
a  pretty  good  part  as  a  figurehead.  [Cheers.]  So  they  put 
me  at  the  head  of  the  Red  Cross,  and  as  head  of  the  Red  Cross 
I  came  to  know  of  the  enormous  energy  and  tremendous  power 
for  good  which  Dr.  Klopsch  exercises  through  The  Christian 
Herald  in  raising  hundreds  of  thousands  of  dollars  to  relieve 
human  suffering  wherever  it  may  be  in  the  world. 

"And  so,  when  he  wrote  to  ask  me  to  come  here,  I  wasn't 
exactly  advised,  except  that  it  was  in  the  Bowery.  I  always 


THE  BOWERY  MISSION  285 

had  a  good  deal  of  curiosity  to  know  the  Bowery,  and  I  felt  cer- 
tain that  where  Dr.  Klopsch  and  the  Bowery  met,  there  would 
probably  be  the  best  part  of  the  Bowery,  and  so  I  came  here. 
[Loud  cheering.] 

"Now,  your  Superintendent  has  been  good  enough  to  say 
some  complimentary  things  about  my  coming  from  Carnegie 
Hall  down  to  the  Bowery  to  meet  you.  I  am  not  conscious  of 
deserving  any  credit  for  it.  As  I  look  into  your  faces  I  see  you 
are  earnest  American  citizens.  To  use  a  colloquial  expression, 
some  of  you  are  '  down  on  your  luck,'  but  nevertheless,  respon- 
sive to  the  same  sentiments  of  loyalty  and  patriotism  and  love 
of  country,  and  with  the  same  ideals  and  aspirations  for  better 
things  that  are,  I  hope,  shared  by  every  man. 

"I  am  glad  to  be  here,  if  by  being  here  and  saying  so  I  can 
convince  you  that  the  so-called  chasm  between  you  and  people 
who  seem  for  a  time  to  be  more  fortunate  is  not  a  chasm,  and 
that  there  is  extending  through  and  between  you  and  them  a 
deep  feeling  of  sympathy,  a  deep,  earnest  desire  that  you  shall 
have  that  equality  of  opportunity  —  that  means  of  getting  on 
your  feet,  of  supporting  your  family  and  of  earning  your  liveli- 
hood —  which  we  hope  every  man  under  the  Stars  and  Stripes 
may  fully  enjoy. 

"I  am  glad  to  come  here  and  to  testify  by  my  presence  here 
my  sympathy  with  the  great  work  of  Dr.  Klopsch  in  this  Mis- 
sion, by  which  he  shall  from  time  to  time  and  constantly  — 
but  not  always  the  same  people  —  help  men  over  hard  places; 
help  over  the  time  when  things  seem  desperate  and  when  it 
seems  as  if  the  Lord  and  everybody  else  have  turned  against 
you,  and  to  help  you  in  those  times  to  believe  that  there  are 
people  in  this  world  who  do  sympathize  with  you,  and  who 
wish  to  help  you  to  achieve  better  things. 

"I  know  it  is  difficult  for  you  to  believe  that  I,  who  for  the 
time  being  am  receiving  a  large  salary  from  the  United  States, 
and  living  in  comfort,  can  understand  or  take  into  my  heart 
the  feeling  you  may  have  of  desperation,  and  the  sense  of 
injustice  you  may  have  in  feeling  that  you  have  not  had  the 
chances  other  men  have  had.  Yet  I  assure  you  that  in  spite 


286  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

of  those  seeming  differences  your  fellow-citizens  and  mine  are 
not  the  greedy,  oppressive  persons  some  would  make  you  be- 
lieve; but  that  more  to-day  than  ever  in  the  history  of  the 
world  their  hearts  are  open  and  their  desire  to  help  the  needy 
and  the  suffering  is  greater  than  it  ever  was,  and  is  growing 
greater  every  minute. 

"Dr.  Klopsch  is  one  of  those  through  whom  I  hope  that 
thought  is  being  conveyed  to  you,  so  that  you  may  not  burn 
with  a  sense  of  injustice,  but  that  you  may  hope  on  and  struggle 
on,  made  strong  in  the  belief  that  the  future  is  brighter  for  you 
than  before." 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  President's  address  there  was  an 
outburst  of  tumultuous  applause  from  the  men  in  the  body 
of  the  hall,  the  visitors'  galleries  and  the  platform.  He  had 
touched  a  deep  chord  in  the  breasts  of  his  hearers,  and  they 
felt  that  every  word  in  this  message  of  cheer  and  encourage- 
ment was  spoken  from  the  heart.  Then  after  the  applause 
had  subsided  the  President  and  his  immediate  party  rose  to 
leave  the  platform.  "Good  night,  boys,"  said  Mr.  Taft,  wav- 
ing his  hand  in  kindly  greeting  to  the  men.  "Good  night, 
Bill!"  came  back  in  a  resounding,  stentorian  chorus.  "Merry 
Christmas!"  he  called  out  as  he  withdrew  after  shaking  hands 
cordially  with  those  on  the  platform.  He  did  not  leave  the 
Mission  building,  however,  until  he  had  visited  the  quarters 
of  the  "bread  line,"  on  the  floor  below,  and  inspected  the 
arrangements  for  feeding  and  comforting  the  thousands  of  home- 
less men  and  boys  who  come  every  midnight  to  be  warmed  and 
fed  at  the  Bowery  Mission. 

After  his  departure,  the  Gospel  meeting  in  the  Mission  hall 
went  on  with  increased  fervor.  There  was  a  new  warmth  in  the 
"testimonies"  that  night,  a  deeper  spirituality  in  the  prayers 
and  a  higher  note  of  praise  and  thankfulness  in  the  hymns. 

The  police  arrangements,  under  Inspector  Hogan  and  Cap- 
tarn  Day,  were  excellent.  Owing  to  the  stormy  night  there 
was  no  large  outside  crowd,  and  the  approaches  to  the  Mis- 
sion, front  and  rear,  were  kept  clear  and  well  guarded.  Never 
did  President  face  a  better  behaved,  more  enthusiastic  or 


THE  BOWERY  MISSION  287 

more  loyal  audience  than  did  Mr.  Taft  that  night,  and  his 
words  of  kindness  to  the  poor  waifs  of  the  Bowery  will  never 
be  forgotten.  He  is  the  first  National  Executive  who  has  set 
the  example  of  coming  down  from  his  high  station,  for  a  single 
hour,  and  mingling  with  the  "down-and-outs,"  and  the  men 
of  the  Bowery  declare  that  the  visit  and  the  speech  together 
have  inspired  them  with  fresh  courage  and  done  them  a  world 
of  good. 

In  an  editorial  comment,  The  Christian  Herald 
said  of  this  visit  by  the  President: 

"It  was  a  new  note  which  President  Taft  sounded. 
It  was  a  note  of  cheer  and  encouragement  from  the 
executive  head  of  this  nation.  He  stepped  down 
for  the  moment  from  the  social  environment  of  his 
high  position  to  that  of  the  humblest  and  saddest 
of  wayfarers.  Through  his  big  frame  there  flows  a 
warm  current  of  sympathy  with  suffering  and  mis- 
fortune, and  his  talk  with  these  men  of  the  Bowery, 
social  outcasts  as  they  are  ranked,  gave  them  a 
glimpse  of  the  goodness  of  his  heart  and  made  them 
feel  that  the  speaker  was  first  a  man,  then  a  Presi- 
dent. In  the  driving  December  storm  he  came  to 
them  as  a  messenger  of  cheer,  telling  them  that 
even  when  the  skies  were  blackest,  and  when  it 
seemed  as  if  everybody  had  turned  against  them, 
they  were  not  friendless,  for  there  were  people  who 
stood  ready  to  help  them  to  better  things. 

"This  is  the  real  note  of  the  uplift.  It  is  when 
we  are  down  and  weak  with  struggling,  that  we  most 
need  the  grasp  of  the  friendly  hand  to  help  us  upon 
our  feet.  And  there  can  be  nothing  more  eloquent 
in  this  world  than  such  a  hand,  when  it  reaches  out 
at  the  right  moment.  It  inspires  courage,  restores 


288  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

self-respect,  gives  strength  to  the  weak,  makes  the 
battle  of  adversity  less  arduous.  It  was  a  brave 
and  commendable  thing  that  Mr.  Taft  did  down  at 
the  Bowery  Mission,  and  society  is  his  debtor  for 
it.  His  words  and  example  have  done  more  to 
close  the  gap  between  rich  and  poor,  than  anything 
else  that  could  possibly  have  happened.  In  that 
half  hour  when  he  stood  face  to  face  with  the  men 
of  the  Bowery,  whom  he  called  his  '  boys,'  we  believe 
he  received  as  much  as  he  gave." 


CHAPTER    XVI 

THE   CRY   OF   THE   CHILDREN 

HOW  THE  MONT-LAWN  HOME  CAME  TO  BE  OPENED  IN  1895 GROWTH  OF  DR. 

KLOPSCH'S  FAVORITE  CHARITY  —  STREET  WAIFS  IN  THE  GREAT  CITY  —  FROM 
THE  SLUMS  TO  AN  EARTHLY  PARADISE  —  A  DAY'S  DOINGS  FOR  THE  TENEMENT 

GUESTS  DESCRIBED  —  SATURDAY  AFTERNOON  ROMPS WHAT  A  STRANGER 

FROM  ENGLAND  SAW SONGS  OF  PRAISE THE  TEMPLE  SERVICES DR. 

KLOPSCH'S  UNIQUE  MESSAGE  TO  YOUTHFUL  HEARTS  —  LESSONS  IN  PATRIOTISM 
DISTINGUISHED  VISITORS  ON  THE  FOURTH  OF  JULY  —  A  CELEBRATION  WITH- 
OUT THE  FOUNDER — THE  CHINESE  MINISTER'S  TRIBUTE — FUTURE  OF  MONT- 
LAWN. 

THE  cry  of  the  children  is  a  constant  one.  In 
a  city  such  as  New  York,  it  goes  up  from 
the  highways  and  byways,  from  the  crowded 
tenements  in  the  districts  where  population  is  most 
dense,  sometimes  with  piercing  shrillness.  To  those 
of  generous  impulses  the  call  is  an  irresistible  one. 
To  the  man  who  in  his  measures  of  relief  for  the 
sufferers  from  massacre  and  famine  in  Armenia,  in 
Macedonia,  in  India,  in  China,  and  in  Japan 
thought  always  of  the  orphans  that  must  be  pro- 
vided for,  it  was  certain  that  the  waifs  of  the 
streets  at  home  would  appeal.  Dr.  Klopsch  loved 
the  little  ones. 

The  opportunity  for  helping  tenement  children  of 
New  York  City  came  early  in  his  philanthropic 
career.  At  the  conclusion  of  the  New  York  "food- 
fund,"  which  was  solicited  for  the  aid  of  the  unem- 
ployed in  the  winter  of  1893-94,  and  when  there  was 

289 


290  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

no  further  need  of  relief  operations,  there  was  an 
unexpended  balance  of  $4,900  in  the  treasury.  Since 
the  contributors  to  the  fund  numbered  several  thou- 
sand persons,  scattered  all  over  the  country,  who 
had  given  sums  ranging  from  twenty-five  cents 
upward,  to  return  their  gifts  was  a  practical  impos- 
sibility. It  was  suggested  to  Dr.  Klopsch,  by  one 
of  his  associates,  that  as  the  winter's  work  had  dealt 
very  largely  with  the  women  and  children,  it  would 
be  a  logical  extension  of  the  same  work  if  the  balance 
could  be  utilized  for  the  purpose  of  opening  a  "  Fresh 
Air  Home"  in  the  suburbs,  for  the  little  folks  of  the 
tenements,  who  had  been  subjected  to  so  much  pri- 
vation during  the  winter. 

This  suggestion  met  with  immediate  approval  by 
Dr.  Klopsch.  It  gave  him  a  long  desired  oppor- 
tunity to  put  into  operation  an  experiment  in  behalf 
of  neglected  city  children,  which  promised  to  pro- 
duce salutary  results,  morally  and  physically,  besides 
affording  the  little  ones  such  a  pleasure  as  they 
never  before  enjoyed.  The  Rev.  Dr.  A.  D.  Lawrence 
Jewett,  of  Nyack,  thirty  miles  up  the  Hudson,  who 
was  in  hearty  sympathy  with  the  work,  generously 
gave  the  use  of  his  beautiful  estate,  known  as  Mont- 
Lawn,  at  a  merely  nominal  rental,  for  the  Children's 
Home.  Some  $2,000  was  spent  on  furnishing  and 
general  equipment,  a  matron  and  helpers  were  en- 
gaged, and  in  June,  1895,  the  Home  was  opened  to 
two  hundred  tenement  children.  That  year  twelve 
hundred  were  received.  They  were  selected  from  the 
poorest  families  and  no  distinctions  were  made  as 
to  creed  or  nationality. 


THE  CRY  OF  THE  CHILDREN  201 

At  the  end  of  the  first  season,  there  was  a  deficit 
of  about  $1,000,  which  Dr.  Klopsch  personally  sup- 
plied. Next  year  he  succeeded  in  interesting  many 
patrons  among  his  readers,  and  the  Home  grew 
apace.  It  was  enlarged  and  improved  from  year  to 
year,  until  there  are  now  five  large  dormitories,  an 
open-air  dining  and  play  building,  a  beautiful  chapel, 
stables,  an  artesian  well,  etc.  The  whole  property 
is  valued  at  something  like  $70,000. 

Since  the  Home  was  started,  about  forty  thousand 
children  have  been  received  at  Mont-Lawn,  the 
average  stay  being  ten  days  each,  and  the  season 
running  ten  weeks  through  the  hottest  period  of  the 
summer.  The  cost  for  each  child  for  the  season  is 
three*  dollars.  There  is  a  matron  with  a  corps  of 
teachers  or  caretakers,  a  dormitory  corps,  and  kitchen 
and  garden  help.  The  Home  is  maintained  by  vol- 
untary contributions  from  people  in  many  states, 
some  of  whom  have  been  patrons  since  its  founda- 
tion. It  was  Dr.  Klopsch's  favorite  charity,  and  he 
spent  the  greater  part  of  his  summers  there  romping 
with  the  children,  directing  their  games,  leading  in 
their  exercises,  and  planning  for  their  welfare  and 
enjoyment. 

This  is  in  few  words  the  story  of  the  Children's 
Home  at  Mont-Lawn,  but  it  has  a  thousand  varia- 
tions. Its  purpose  was  best  expressed  in  the  first 
year  of  its  existence,  when  Dr.  Klopsch,  in  an  article 
in  The  Christian  Herald,  said: 

"There  is  no  pleasure  in  this  world  of  ours  so  pure 
and  innocent  as  that  of  a  little  child,  no  laughter 
so  sweet  as  that  of  children,  no  picture  so  sad  as 


292  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

that  of  joyless  childhood.  In  all  our  great  cities, 
and  especially  in  New  York,  there  are  thousands 
upon  thousands  of  little  ones  whose  early  years  are 
passed  amid  surroundings  so  miserable,  unwhole- 
some and  vicious,  as  to  augur  ominously  for  their 
future.  Many  of  them  have  never  seen  a  Sabbath 
School,  and  don't  know  the  name  of  Jesus,  except 
when  they  hear  it  uttered  in  profanity.  Some  never 
even  saw  a  blade  of  grass,  or  pulled  a  flower.  Seen 
for  the  first  time,  a  wood  to  them  is  a  wonder- 
land; a  smooth  lawn  a  dream  of  delight.  It  was  of 
such  as  this  that  the  poetess  Elizabeth  Barrett 
Browning  wrote: 

"'Tis  the  young,  young  children,  O  my  brothers, 

They  are  weeping  bitter  tears; 
They  are  weeping  in  the  playtime  of  the  others, 
And  their  sorrow  comes  with  years." 

In  describing  those  reached  by  the  missionaries 
of  the  "Fresh  Air  Work,"  the  paper  said: 

"Those  neglected  ones  are  the  children  of  the 
slums,  the  tiny  waifs,  orphans  and  outcasts,  who 
burrow  in  the  very  poorest  and  dirtiest  sections  of 
the  city,  live  sometimes  in  cellars,  or  in  the  farthest 
removed  places  of  some  crazy  tenement,  or  some- 
times in  the  recess  of  a  dock,  for  the  want  of  a  better 
home.  Some  of  the  children  have  parents  who  care 
little  what  becomes  of  their  offspring,  as  long  as  their 
own  animal  wants  are  satisfied.  Others  are  absolute 
waifs  and  outcasts,  sleeping  around  on  stairways, 
in  cellars,  or  in  wagons,  or  where  they  may.  A  few, 
though  hardly  yet  in  their  teens,  have  taken  the  first 


THE  CRY  OF  THE  CHILDREN  293 

steps  in  crime,  and  under  the  tuition  of  some  low 
thief,  now  too  old  and  decrepit  to  ply  his  trade  him- 
self, are  being  taught  to  pick  pockets  for  a  living. 
And  this  is  but  a  realistic  picture  of  thousands  of 
other  children  in  New  York  City. 

"Tired  and  starved,  in  body,  mind  and  soul,  their 
unrelieved  lot  is  poverty  and  want,  suffering  and 
death.  They  come  and  go  like  puny  shadows  on 
the  dial  of  time.  Not  theirs  the  sweet  pleasure  of 
romping  in  the  green  fields,  or  resting  in  the  cool 
woods.  They  may  never  hear  the  song  of  birds,  nor 
breathe  the  sweet  incense  of  flowers.  It  is  this  class 
that  The  Christian  Herald's  "Fresh  Air  Workers" 
seek  out  in  the  purlieus  of  the  great  city  and  take 
to  our  "Children's  Home  at  Mont-Lawn." 

A  graphic  description  was  given  in  one  of  the  news- 
papers of  the  preparations  for  the  trip.  A  summer 
visitor  sat  looking  across  the  way  from  a  window 
in  Cooper  Union  Library,  and  noticed  how  children 
flocked  to  the  Bible  House  between  the  hours  of  11 
and  1.  They  came  in  squads  of  five,  six,  fifteen, 
twenty,  in  charge  of  older  people;  or  forlorn  mites 
struggled  along  by  themselves;  they  are  evidently 
children  of  the  poor.  Some  are  laden  with  fruits 
and  flowers,  or  bags  evidently  containing  treasures. 
If  the  visitor  questions  a  New  Yorker,  he  will  be 
informed  that  he  is  watching  the  initial  operations 
of  one  of  the  most  interesting  and  excellent  charities 
of  the  metropolis.  The  children  thronging  into  the 
Bible  House  are  incoming  and  outgoing  guests  of 
The  Christian  Herald's  Summer  Home  for  Children 
at  Nyack-on-the-Hudson.  The  adults  in  charge  are 


294  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

missionaries,  who  bring  them  from  the  tenement  dis- 
tricts, or  caretakers  who  conduct  them  back  and 
forth  between  the  Home  and  the  city.  For  every 
detachment  of  twenty-five  children  brought  back 
from  the  Home,  a  corresponding  number  is  returned. 
Each  child  stays  ten  days.  Beneficiaries  must  be 
between  the  ages  of  five  and  twelve.  Candidates 
undergo  a  medical  examination,  and  those  showing 
symptoms  of  contagious  diseases  are  necessarily 
excluded,  but  are  told  to  try  again  when  better. 

The  trip  up  the  Hudson  to  Nyack  is  filled  with 
incidents.  Some  of  the  children  are  almost  dumb 
with  joy  and  amusement,  while  others  are  very 
voluble.  "My,"  said  one  little  girl  after  landing 
at  Nyack,  "but  that  was  a  long  water."  Her 
knowledge  of  what  a  river  is  was  evidently  limited 
to  the  definition  in  her  geography,  and  she  evi- 
dently did  not  connect  it  with  the  real  thing. 

A  day's  doings  at  Mont-Lawn  have  a  never-end- 
ing novelty  for  the  little  guests  from  the  tenements. 
The  routine  begins  with  the  early  morning,  when  the 
children,  waiting,  after  a  refreshing  night's  sleep,  are 
hungry  for  breakfast  and  eager  for  play.  Dormitories 
are  like  bee-hives;  little  folks  are  busy  getting  into 
clothes  as  quickly  as  possible,  caretakers  and  older 
children  are  helping.  At  last,  with  buttons  secure, 
faces  washed,  heads  combed  and  brushed,  they 
assemble  on  the  lawn  in  front  of  the  porch.  In 
the  doorway  stands  their  house-mother  with  her 
hand  on  the  gong.  At  the  first  stroke  they  fall  in 
line;  at  the  second,  march  off  to  the  tent.  Long 
white  tables  under  the  tent  are  set  varied  with  oat- 


THE  CRY  OF  THE  CHILDREN  295 

meal  or  rice  and  mugs  of  rich  cream,  milk,  and  many 
slices  of  buttered  bread.  Each  little  boy  and  girl 
takes  his  or  her  seat,  heads  are  bowed,  little  hands 
are  folded,  and  the  children  sing  their  pretty  grace, 
beginning: 

God  is  great  and  God  is  good, 
And  we  thank  Him  for  our  food. 

Such  they  are,  poor  half-famished  little  ones. 
Some  who  came  pinched  and  pale,  too  weak  and 
sick  even  to  care  for  food,  are  hungry  enough  now 
and  march  and  play  sturdily.  "Teachers" — this  is 
what  they  elect  to  call  their  caretakers  —  go  from 
table  to  table  replenishing  plates  and  mugs,  and 
serving  out  numbers  of  slices  of  white  and  brown 
bread.  Breakfast  over  and  rat-a-tat-tat  on  the 
drum,  they  march  in  review  again,  and  the  house- 
mother standing  on  the  steps  asks  the  children  what 
is  the  Golden  Text.  They  answer,  giving,  as  they 
were  taught  at  Sunday  School  in  the  chapel,  the 
Golden  Text  for  the  week.  Every  day  they  say  the 
Text  and  are  bidden  to  remember  it  in  their  play 
until  the  passing  week  brings  a  new  Golden  Text, 
to  be  graven  into  their  memories  and  lives. 

After  the  Text,  they  run  off  to  the  swings,  the  pool, 
to  pluck  flowers  from  the  hillsides,  to  gather  berries, 
to  weave  daisy  chains  and  oak  wreaths,  to  listen  to 
stories  told  by  wise  and  loving  caretakers,  to  sing 
many  a  happy  song,  to  play  many  a  merry  game, 
until  dinner  time,  and  again  until  evening,  when 
supper  comes,  and  the  little  chapel  service  follows, 
when  the  children  hear  short  loving  talks  from  the 


296  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

matron  and  caretakers  about  their  "child  king" 
Jesus,  who  put  it  into  the  hearts  of  kind  friends  to 
send  them  there;  they  sing  little  hymns  of  praise 
and  thanksgiving,  and  pray  God  to  make  and  keep 
them  good,  and  to  bless  the  dear  kind  friends  who 
sent  them  to  this  beautiful  Home. 

Cool  dormitories,  filled  with  sleepy  little  folk; 
teachers  and  big  children  help  the  smaller  ones 
to  undress.  All  say  "Our  Father,"  and  the  little 
limbs  are  folded  for  the  night;  restless  limbs  are  still, 
black  heads  and  brown  heads  lie  quiet  on  white 
pillows;  through  open  windows  sweep  winds  from 
the  Rockland  Hills  on  one  side  and  the  Hudson  on 
the  other;  moon  and  stars  shine  down  like  a  benedic- 
tion on  a  placid  river  and  solemn  hills.  Silence  falls 
on  Mont-Lawn.  Even  the  busy  caretakers,  whose 
work  has  seemingly  no  end,  may  rest. 

Another  writer  described  Mont-Lawn  as  the 
"Children's  Garden  of  Eden." 

"During  the  day  and  night  I  spent  there,"  she 
wrote,  "I  saw  many  things  that  made  me  glad  — 
and  alas!  much  to  make  one's  heart  ache.  Little 
wistful  faces  would  look  up  at  me  as  I  paused  before 
a  group  of  boys  and  girls,  some  of  whom  could  not 
speak  more  than  a  word  or  two  of  English.  One 
little  Syrian,  in  whom  I  was  particularly  interested, 
stood  apart  from  the  others,  solemnly  watching  them 
at  their  play.  I  took  her  by  the  hand,  and  going 
upon  the  wide  veranda,  seated  myself  in  a  big  rocking 
chair.  Taking  the  forlorn  bit  of  humanity  in  my 
arms  —  she  seemed  about  six  years  of  age  —  I  found 
that  she  was  very  gentle  and  could  understand 


THE  CRY  OF  THE  CHILDREN  297 

English  a  little.  She  told  me  her  name  was  Mary. 
She  lay  a  long  time  very  still,  and  I  thought  she 
was  dozing;  it  was  near  sunset,  and  the  air  so  soft 
and  balmy,  I  was  glad  if  it  would  lull  her  to  sleep. 
The  little  curly  head  nestled  against  me  and  the 
long  black  lashes  drooped  over  the  olive  cheek  when 
suddenly  she  looked  up,  without  moving,  a  glance 
that  showed  me  she  was  far  from  sleeping.  'What 
do  you  want,  Mary?'  I  asked.  She  answered  only 
one  word — 'Mama' — but  it  was  enough  to  show 
that  with  beauty  all  around  her  and  kindness  on 
every  hand,  she  still  longed  for  the  only  one  in  the 
world  who  was  really  mother. 

"Saturday  afternoons,  Mr.  Klopsch  goes  up  to 
Mont-Lawn,  and  then  the  outdoor  games  begin  in 
earnest  —  the  bean  game,  foot  races,  and  various 
other  things,  which  this  man  of  far-reaching  inter- 
ests seems  to  enjoy  as  much  as  if  he  were  one  of 
the  little  ones.  I  could  not  help  thinking,  and  re- 
peating over  and  over,  'except  ye  become  as  little 
children.' 

"And  how  the  children  love  the  man!  When  it 
came  time  for  him  to  go,  they  lined  up  and  gave  him 
three  rousing  cheers.  Then  after  watching  him  as 
far  down  the  road  as  they  could  see,  and  waving  their 
handkerchiefs,  they  suddenly,  with  one  mind,  scam- 
pered to  the  high  platform  at  the  other  side  of  the 
house  and  waited,  anxiously  watching  a  turn  in  the 
road  visible  from  this  point  down  the  mountain  side. 
When  the  carriage  came  in  sight,  more  than  a  mile 
away,  such  a  cheer  as  went  up  from  two  hundred 
happy  little  ones,  and  such  frantic  waving  of  hand- 


298  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

kerchiefs!  And  until  another  turn  hid  the  carriage 
from  us,  an  answering  wave  of  the  white  signal  of 
love." 

In  1909,  C.  O.  S.  Mawson,  the  English  journal- 
ist, wrote  an  article  telling  "What  a  Stranger  saw 
at  Mont-Lawn."  He  was  greatly  impressed  with 
everything  he  saw.  He  wrote: 

"I  love  God  and  little  children/  There  are  many 
in  this  fair  land  who  would  unhesitatingly  make 
such  an  avowal;  but  how  many  are  there  whose 
love  so  expresses  itself  in  worthy  deeds?  When  I 
saw  these  golden  words  which  adorn  the  entrance  to 
the  Children's  Home  at  Nyack,  the  voices  of  three 
hundred  happy  children  were  ringing  in  my  ears; 
the  hillside  resounded  with  a  welcome  such  as  falls 
to  the  lot  of  few  men;  and  the  genial  founder,  Dr. 
Klopsch,  flung  back  the  greeting  in  kind,  a  veritable 
boy  received  in  triumph  by  his  play-fellows.  His 
is  the  part  of  a  foster  parent,  yet  a  comrade  withal. 
One  look  at  his  face  as  he  beheld  his  beloved  children 
revealed  the  love  which  he  bears  them  —  a  love 
which  is  felt  by  every  child,  and  to  which  every  child 
responds. 

"  Nowhere  in  the  world  have  I  seen  such  an  under- 
taking as  this;  the  very  perfection  of  the  scheme 
bespeaks  an  able  organizer,  as  well  as  a  lover  of 
children.  Mont-Lawn  is  not  an  ordinary  institution; 
rather  is  it  a  village  of  clean  and  artistic  homes, 
where  the  members  all  gather  together  at  one  family 
board,  sing  and  worship  in  one  Temple,  and  conform 
to  the  rules  and  guidance  of  one  head.  'Health, 
happiness  and  harmony'  are  the  watchwords.  The 


THE  CRY  OF  THE  CHILDREN  299 

children  know  they  are  there  to  be  happy,  and  to 
radiate  happiness  around  them.  They  are  there  for 
a  holiday;  a  holiday  all  too  brief,  but  free  from  every 
want  or  sadness.  For  at  least  ten  days  in  their 
young  lives  their  heaven  is  unclouded,  and  all  seems 
radiant  without  and  within.  Looking  at  the  bright 
upturned  faces,  it  was  hard  to  believe  that  these 
children  were  of  the  poorest  and  most  friendless  in 
the  metropolis.  How  quickly  fresh  air,  good  food, 
and  happy  surroundings  transform  even  the  most 
delicate  child! 

"What  particularly  impressed  me  was  the  fact 
that  in  this  vast  charitable  enterprise  the  seal  of 
charity  in  its  worldly  sense  is  nowhere  visible.  The 
most  sensitive  child  could  feel  no  sense  of  shame  or 
patronage.  For  instance,  should  a  child  arrive  in 
ragged  and  wretched  clothing,  an  outfit  is  provided 
by  the  Home,  but  all  semblance  of  uniformity  is 
conspicuous  by  its  absence.  These  friendless  chil- 
dren (can  they  indeed  be  friendless  with  such  a 
friend?)  are  virtually  at  Mont-Lawn  as  the  young 
guests  of  The  Christian  Herald. 

"The  obvious  intelligence  of  the  children  was  most 
notable.  Doubtless  their  native  environment  tends 
to  foster  this  precocity.  In  our  talk,  the  able 
and  courteous  lady  superintendent  of  the  Home 
assured  me  that  not  only  are  the  children  most 
intelligent,  but  as  mouldable  as  wax.  Dr.  Klopsch 
rightly  instils  a  spirit  of  obedience  and  discipline. 

"Still  more  remarkable  is  their  singing;  and  it 
seemed  inconceivable  that  one-third  of  these  clear- 
voiced  singers  had  only  been  there  one  day,  and 


300  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

another  third  but  three  days.  When  the  children 
took  their  places  in  the  beautiful  Temple,  the  crown- 
ing gift  of  the  founder,  their  singing  was  heard  to 
great  advantage.  The  swing  and  the  go  were  mag- 
nificent. In  perfect  tune,  and  with  an  enthusiasm 
that  no  American  child  ever  lacks  when  singing  of 
his  beloved  country,  they  commence  the  exercises 
with  that  patriotic  song: 

It  matters  not  where  we  may  roam, 

Or  what  may  be  our  quest, 
Our  own,  our  dear  old  native  land 

We're  sure  to  love  the  best. 

"At  the  close  of  each  verse,  every  child  produced 
a  miniature  flag  and  waved  it  aloft  to  the  time  of 
the  rousing  chorus.  Standing  as  we  were  on  the 
platform,  facing  the  young  singers,  the  spectacle  was 
at  once  affective  and  inspiring.  When  the  last  notes 
of  the  organ  died  away,  every  right  hand  was  raised, 
every  eye  upturned  to  the  outspread  stars  and  stripes, 
and  every  voice  clearly  and  proudly  proclaimed: 

"  'I  pledge  allegiance  to  my  flag,  and  to  the  republic 
for  which  it  stands;  one  nation  indivisible,  with  lib- 
erty and  justice  for  all.' ' 

The  Children's  Temple,  to  which  this  writer  re- 
ferred, was  one  of  the  many  improvements  which  Dr. 
Klopsch,  with  the  aid  of  The  Christian  Herald  con-' 
tributions,  made  at  Mont-Lawn.  In  it  are  held  the 
Sunday  services.  They  are  truly  the  children  of 
all  nations  who  gather  there  to  worship,  and  there 
are  those  by  whom  the  bright  Temple  service  is 
looked  upon  with  round-eyed  wonder  as  a  mysterious 


THE  CRY  OF  THE  CHILDREN  301 

rite.  To  all,  however,  it  grows  precious  with  the 
association,  and  the  seed  which  is  sown  so  wisely 
and  lovingly  during  the  quiet  Sunday  afternoon 
bears  out  the  parable  of  old  —  though  some  fall  by 
the  wayside  and  among  thorns  and  stony  places, 
yet  others  fall  into  good  and  fertile  soil,  which  shall 
bring  forth  a  glorious  harvest  in  time  to  come. 

"  When  Dr.  Klopsch  rises,"  said  a  writer  telling  of 
the  Temple  services,  "scores  of  youthful  hearts  are 
ready  for  his  message  —  a  message  unique  in  its 
application  to  the  barren  lives  of  his  young  auditors. 
'Once  upon  a  time,'  he  begins  in  the  good  old  way, 
'there  was  in  the  far-off  city  of  Florence  a  rare  and 
beautiful  statue.  Of  spotless  and  snowy  marble  the 
fair  and  delicate  beauty  of  the  figure  was  so  graceful 
in  its  outline,  so  full  of  harmony  in  its  pose,  that 
every  eye  which  beheld  it  acknowledged  its  perfec- 
tion. There  came  a  day  when  the  people  of  Florence 
were  allowed  to  enter  the  great  gallery  of  art  in 
which  this  gem  of  sculpture  stood. 

"Among  the  great  throng  who  poured  through 
the  open  doors  and  passed  before  the  wonderful  ex- 
pression of  a  master's  art,  there  was  one  small 
Florentine  girl,  dirty  and  tattered  and  poor,  oh  so 
poor,  with  a  big  beautiful  soul  that  responded  greatly 
to  the  beauty  which  surrounded  her.  She  stood 
motionless  before  the  statue,  gazing  with  rapt  eyes 
at  every  detail  of  grace  and  purity.  Then  the  little 
one  stole  away,  turning  with  dragging  feet  to  her 
own  squalid  home.  But  she  took  the  memory  of  the 
marble  with  her  in  all  its  immaculate  spotlessness, 
and  her  first  act  was  to  cleanse  her  own  soiled  hands 


302  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

and  face,  that  they  might  bear  some  resemblance  to 
the  stately  white  figure  of  the  Florentine  statue. 

"  'Day  by  day  the  little  child  of  poverty  crept  back 
to  feast  her  beauty-loving  heart  upon  the  master- 
piece. Day  by  day,  as  she  returned  to  her  home, 
she  sought  to  bring  the  lesson  of  the  statue  into 
her  own  poor  life.  The  slender  little  body  was  pure 
and  clean  now,  rough  boards  were  scoured,  and  even 
the  indifferent  mother,  who  regarded  the  change  in 
her  child  with  astonishment,  was  moved  to  effort 
by  her  little  daughter's  great  longing  to  bring  into 
the  humble  home  some  reminder  of  the  snowy  image 
which  had  inspired  within  her  hungry  heart  a  great 
yearning  for  cleanliness  and  grace. 

"'That,  children,  is  what  we  want  Mont-Lawn  to 
become  to  you.  May  this  fair  and  beautiful  domain, 
in  all  its  shining  cleanliness,  be  to  your  lives  the 
Florentine  statue,  from  which  you  shall  learn  habits 
of  neatness,  repose  of  manner,  and  both  moral  and 
physical  grace  and  charm.  When  you  go  home, 
children,  carry  with  you  the  memory  of  the  pure 
white  statue,  never  forgetting  that  cleanliness  and 
order  are  lessons  well  worth  learning;  that  only 
the  hand  of  the  divine  Sculptor  can  make  us  all 
glorious  within." 

The  Fourth  of  July  is  always  a  great  day  at  Mont- 
Lawn.  The  lessons  of  patriotism,  as  will  be  seen 
from  what  has  been  told  of  the  exercises  and  of  the 
impressions  of  different  visitors,  are  not  limited  to  a 
single  day.  But  Independence  Day  is  the  culmina- 
tion. Speakers  of  note  are  always  glad  to  volunteer 
their  presence  and  to  tell  the  little  folks  what  the  day 


THE  CRY  OF  THE  CHILDREN  303 

has  meant  in  the  past  and  what  it  should  mean  in 
the  future. 

That  there  are  many  races  and  nationalities  among 
the  children  who  celebrate  the  independence  of  the 
United  States  will  be  apparent  from  what  already 
has  been  told  of  them.  "How  many  of  you  are 
Germans?"  asked  Dr.  Klopsch  on  one  Fourth  of 
July.  Nearly  a  hundred  hands  went  up.  "How 
many  are  Italians?"  Perhaps  twenty -five  hands 
were  uplifted.  "How  many  Jewish?"  A  generous 
sprinkling  of  hands  followed.  "How  many  Ameri- 
cans?" and  now  more  hands  than  ever  rose.  The 
rest  were  divided  among  Irish,  Scandinavians,  a  few 
Syrians,  Hungarians,  and  one  wee  dainty  little  tot, 
whose  name,  Annie  Yun  Toy,  would  have  proclaimed 
her  a  tiny  human  flower  of  the  celestial  kingdom, 
even  if  her  twinkling,  beady  black  eyes  had  not. 
But  when  Dr.  Klopsch  asked  the  last  question, 
"  How  many  mean  to  make  noble  American  men  and 
women?  "  every  arm  flew  to  its  highest  point.  It  was 
a  sight  at  which  the  pessimist,  who  stalks  abroad, 
gloomily  prophesying  the  downfall  of  American  insti- 
tutions, would  have  hid  his  face  in  shame. 

At  the  celebration  in  1907,  Rear-Admiral  Charles 
D.  Sigsbee  talked  to  the  little  ones.  He  told  them 
of  the  progress  of  our  country,  the  righteous  cause 
of  her  wars,  and  the  happy  and  prosperous  present. 
Referring  to  the  encouraging  conditions  which  are 
giving  us  the  opportunity  to  educate  the  children  of 
an  immigrant  population  for  the  glorious  destiny 
of  American  citizenship  which  awaits  them,  he  closed 
by  saying  that  it  was  always  an  inspiration  to  him, 


304  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

as  he  traveled  over  the  country,  to  look  into  the  faces 
of  the  children,  and  to  realize  that  they  represented 
the  potential  strength  of  the  future.  At  the  close 
of  the  exercises,  everybody  was  pleased  to  receive 
a  cordial  handshake  from  the  gallant  commander 
of  the  Maine. 

In  the  celebration  of  1908,  the  visitors  were  greatly 
impressed  by  the  flag  drill  by  the  children  on  the  big 
lawn.  The  salute  to  the  flag  was  one  of  the  patriotic 
events  of  the  day,  and  showed  how  deeply  rooted  is 
the  love  of  country  in  the  heart  of  even  the  poorest 
child.  On  this  occasion  one  of  the  speakers  was  the 
Rev.  David  Charles  Hughes,  father  of  the  distin- 
guished Governor  of  New  York,  who  gave  a  brief, 
but  effective  talk,  which  was  enjoyed  by  the  grown- 
ups, as  well  as  the  children. 

The  last  celebration  of  the  Fourth  to  be  chronicled, 
July  4,  1910,  was  without  the  presence  of  the  founder 
and  patron.  How  greatly  he  was  missed,  all  can  tell, 
but  as  was  his  wish,  the  patriotic  exercises  went  for- 
ward as  in  the  past.  Mrs.  Klopsch  came  up  from 
New  York  and  spent  the  greater  part  of  the  day, 
greatly  to  the  pleasure  of  all  those  who  loved  Mont- 
Lawn  and  its  founder.  During  the  day  she  held  an 
almost  continuous  reception,  and  at  the  service  of 
song  in  the  chapel,  had  a  place  of  honor  on  the 
platform.  Dr.  G.  H.  Sandison,  managing  editor  of 
The  Christian  Herald,  presided,  and  introduced  as 
the  leading  orator  of  the  day  Hon.  Arthur  S.  Tomp- 
kins,  Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court,  who  delivered  a 
stirring  and  patriotic  address  on  "The  Day  We 
Celebrate."  The  next  speaker,  Mr.  Don  O.  Shelton, 


305 

president  of  the  National  Bible  Institute  of  New 
York,  took  as  his  topic  "Our  Young  Folks,"  and  gave 
some  splendid  practical  advice  to  both  children  and 
adults.  Cynthia  Westover  Alden,  president  of  the 
International  Sunshine  Society,  spoke  on  "Sun- 
shiny Lives"  and  told  her  hearers  how  they  might 
learn  to  radiate  happiness  everywhere.  Kate  Upson 
Clark,  of  The  Christian  Herald  editorial  staff,  and 
well  known  as  an  author  and  lecturer,  gave  some 
excellent  advice  to  "Our  Girls."  Rev.  Dr.  C.  H. 
Mead  kept  the  children  in  roars  of  laughter,  and  the 
big  folks  as  well,  by  his  inimitable  stories.  The  one 
sad  task  of  the  day  was  assigned  to  Rev.  Dr.  Ferdi- 
nand C.  Iglehart,  who  spoke  on  "Our  Friends  Who 
Have  Passed  Over."  His  address  was  an  eloquent 
tribute  to  the  memory  of  the  late  Dr.  Louis  Klopsch, 
the  founder  of  Mont-Lawn  and  the  "Children's 
Friend." 

Rear- Admiral  Charles  D.  Sigsbee,  who  came  down 
from  the  Catskills  specially  to  visit  Mont-Lawn,  and 
who  is  a  popular  favorite  there,  made  a  brief  address, 
which  was  greatly  enjoyed. 

Just  as  the  oratorical  programme  was  about  to 
conclude,  a  slender  man  of  distinguished  mien,  clad 
in  a  flowing  robe  of  some  silken  stuff,  and  with  a 
thoughtful  scholarly  face,  stepped  from  an  open 
carriage  at  the  entrance  gate  of  Mont-Lawn.  He 
was  accompanied  by  a  younger  man,  dressed  in  a 
light  summer  suit  of  American  make.  The  visitors 
were  His  Excellency  Chang  Yin  Tang,  Ambassador 
of  China  to  the  United  States,  and  his  son  and  sec- 
retary, Hon.  Henry  Chang.  Minister  Chang  had 


306 

come  to  see  the  little  tenement  guests  of  Mont- 
Lawn  at  their  holiday  exercises.  Like  his  predeces- 
sor, Minister  Wu  Ting  Fang,  Minister  Chang  was 
familiar  with  the  great  work  done  in  China  by  The 
Christian  Herald  and  its  readers  in  relieving  suffering 
during  the  great  famine,  and  in  supporting  a  large 
number  of  orphans  who  were  left  parentless  and 
destitute  after  the  famine  ended.  Minister  Chang 
was  introduced  to  the  assemblage  and  through  his 
secretary  made  a  brief  address.  He  spoke  in  terms 
of  high  commendation  of  the  generous  efforts  of 
The  Christian  Herald  and  its  readers  in  China  and 
other  lands  and  paid  a  noble  tribute  to  the  memory 
of  Dr.  Klopsch.  He  expressed  the  hope  that  The 
Christian  Herald  might  go  on  successfully  in  its 
beneficent  career  of  world-wide  philanthropy  and 
helpfulness,  and  that  its  readers  might  continue  to 
enjoy  the  blessings  that  come  to  all  who  strive  for 
the  uplift  of  humanity. 

Many  of  the  leading  guests  were  then  presented 
to  Minister  Chang,  who  received  all  most  graciously. 
After  watching  with  deep  interest  the  games  and 
drill  of  the  children  on  the  wide-spreading  lawn, 
he  walked  over  to  "Fort  Plenty"  and  stood  by,  a 
greatly  interested  spectator,  while  the  children  filed 
in  to  take  seats  for  supper.  Minister  and  secretary 
watched  with  wide-open  eyes  the  long  orderly  pro- 
cession file  past  and  deploy  into  the  different  aisles, 
each  group  taking  seats  at  its  proper  table.  Then 
the  clear,  young  voices  were  raised  in  the  simple 
little  song  of  thanksgiving  and  all  fell  to  eating  with 
hearty  appetites.  Before  leaving  Mont-Lawn,  Min- 


THE  CRY  OP  THE  CHILDREN  307 

ister  Chang  expressed  his  appreciation  of  his  expe- 
rience there  in  unmeasured  terms. 

The  evening  passed  quickly  with  games  and  music, 
the  Piccaninny  Band  fairly  eclipsing  itself  in  its 
instrumental  efforts.  "Twilight  tea"  was  served 
to  the  guests  where  they  sat  on  the  porches  and  the 
lawn.  Then  as  the  shadows  fell  and  the  long,  per- 
fect summer  day  drew  to  a  close,  a  brilliant  display 
of  fireworks  made  beautiful  Mont-Lawn  luminous 
for  miles  around.  By  eight  o'clock  the  visitors  had 
departed,  Matron  Hyde  had  all  her  little  boys  and 
girls  in  bed  in  the  dormitories,  and  half  an  hour  later 
all  was  quiet  at  the  "Children's  Paradise."  Sleep 
reigned  over  Mont-Lawn. 

It  was  Dr.  Klopsch's  hope  that  the  Children's 
Home  —  his  favorite  benevolence  —  might  ultimately 
be  endowed,  so  that  it  should  be  beyond  any  need  of 
annual  appeals.  Had  he  lived,  he  would  undoubtedly 
have  accomplished  this  purpose;  but  called  away 
from  his  labors  by  death,  he  left  the  unfinished  task 
as  a  legacy  to  those  who  have  been  the  friends  and 
supporters  of  this  beautiful  benevolence  for  many 
years,  knowing  that  they  would  not  fail  to  perpetuate 
the  work  he  had  so  lovingly  founded  and  so  success- 
fully conducted.  Had  he  been  asked  to  choose, 
Mont-Lawn  would  have  been  the  only  monument 
he  would  have  desired.  "I  Love  God  and  Little 
Children"  was  written  over  its  gates  by  Dr.  Klopsch's 
direction.  He  put  his  own  best  love  and  service  into 
this  beneficent  work.  He  spent  there  what  he  used 
to  recall  as  the  most  enjoyable  days  of  his  life,  among 
the  little  children.  Let  Mont-Lawn  be  his  Monu- 


308  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

ment,  a  permanent  institution  and  a  Memorial  to 
his  great  love  for  the  children  of  the  poor! 

Shortly  after  his  death,  when  the  subject  of  its 
endowment  as  a  lasting  memorial  to  his  memory  was 
brought  up  by  some  friends,  President  Taft,  hearing 
of  the  matter,  spoke  to  the  Rev.  J.  Wesley  Hill  in 
cordial  commendation  of  the  Children's  Home,  and 
added  that  if  the  movement  for  its  endowment  were 
started,  he  would  be  glad  to  be  a  contributor. 

It  is  confidently  hoped  that  when  this  generous 
approval  from  so  high  a  source  is  made  public,  many 
friends  will  be  found  willing  to  cooperate  liberally 
in  the  proposed  endowment,  so  that  the  "Children's 
Paradise"  may  be  put  on  a  permanent  and  enduring 
footing. 


CHAPTER   XVII 

EDITOR   AND    PUBLISHER 

BROAD  FIELD  OF  THE  EVANGELICAL  NEWSPAPER  —  THE  WEEKLY  PULPIT  AND 
OTHER  FEATURES SYMPOSIUMS  ON  IMPORTANT  TOPICS FAMOUS  CONTRIBU- 
TORS   DWIGHT  L.  MOODY'S  GRATITUDE  FOR  IMPORTANT  SERVICES EDI- 
TORIAL ASSOCIATES  —  "THE  CHRISTIAN  HERALD'S"  SUCCESSFUL  CAMPAIGN 

TO   RESTORE   THE   MOTTO   "iN   GOD   WE   TRUST*'    ON   THE   NATIONAL  COINAGE 

ANTI-MORMON    AGITATION SUPPORT    OF   TEMPERANCE DR.    KLOPSCH's 

ORIGINAL  METHODS BELIEF  IN  PUBLICITY INTIMATE  PERSONAL  RELATION 

WITH  SUBSCRIBERS USEFULNESS  AS  A  PUBLISHER  OF  GOOD  LITERATURE 

CIRCULATING  THE  SCRIPTURES  —  THE  RED  LETTER  BIBLE. 

THE  influence  of  the  newspaper  for  good  or 
evil  is  universally  recognized.     Happily  on 
the  part  of  most  journals  it  is  exerted  for 
good.     Whether  the  publication  be  daily,  weekly,  or 
monthly,    its   functions    are    essentially    the    same. 
The  field  is  the  world.     The  sphere  of  usefulness 
widens  from  year  to  year. 

Dr.  Klopsch  was  a  born  journalist.  His  intuitive 
perception  of  what  interests  people,  of  how  to  reach 
them  in  a  manner  to  attract  and  hold  them,  of  how 
to  interest  them  in  what  is  going  on  around  and  about 
them;  his  originality  in  planning  and  his  ableness  in 
execution  made  him  the  ideal  head  of  a  great  news- 
paper. That  he  chose  the  evangelical  field,  rather 
than  the  secular  one,  was  often  the  occasion  of 
comment  by  those  who  were  in  control  of  great  daily 
newspapers.  They  recognized  in  him  a  compeer 
and  they  thought  that  in  their  own  domain  he  would 

309 


310  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

have  found  even  a  broader  ground  for  action.  Dr. 
Klopsch  did  not  share  this  opinion.  He  believed 
that  the  evangelical  newspaper  had  fully  as  wide  a 
field  as  the  secular  one.  It  was  for  him  to  plow 
the  field,  as  he  sometimes  put  it,  in  his  own  way 
in  order  to  show  that  he  was  not  mistaken.  He 
rarely  talked  about  the  mission  of  journalism,  but 
he  fulfilled  that  mission  to  the  utmost. 

In  the  editorial  and  other  features,  Dr.  Klopsch 
always  aimed  at  freshness  and  at  attractive  treat- 
ment of  current  news  events,  while  seeking  at  the 
same  time  the  deeper  significance  which  lay  beyond 
them.  He  believed  in  satisfying  legitimate  curiosity 
as  to  what  was  going  on  all  over  the  world,  particu- 
larly new  discoveries  and  progress.  He  believed 
also  in  telling  about  people  who  through  their 
own  deeds  had  made  themselves  interesting.  There 
was  always  a  motive  behind  the  articles  which  were 
published,  but  his  preference  was,  as  he  often  said, 
that  the  sermon  should  preach  itself.  Of  the  young 
folks  he  was  always  thoughtful.  He  believed  that 
good  reading  for  them  meant  the  foundation  for 
wholesome  lives  and  he  sought  to  lay  that  founda- 
tion broad  and  deep. 

The  "weekly  pulpit"  was  one  of  the  first  features 
which  Dr.  Klopsch  established  and  during  the  life- 
time of  Dr.  T.  DeWitt  Talmage,  his  sermons  were 
printed  regularly,  reaching  a  vast  audience. 

After  the  death  of  Dr.  Talmage,  the  "weekly  pul- 
pit" continued  to  be  filled  by  other  noted  divines 
who  have  a  message,  and  who  are  glad  to  convey  it 
through  The  Christian  Herald. 


EDITOR  AND  PUBLISHER  311 

Dr.  Klopsch  was  a  believer  in  getting  at  other 
people's  opinions.  Hence  the  frequency  with  which 
symposiums  on  various  topics  appeared.  Sometimes 
they  related  purely  to  religious  topics;  sometimes 
they  centered  on  secular  subjects,  but  always  with 
a  distinct  purpose  in  view  of  bringing  out  the 
moral  element  in  secular  affairs.  In  this  way  Dr. 
Klopsch  kept  his  readers  in  touch  with  what  men  of 
thought  were  thinking,  and  of  what  men  of  action 
were  doing.  One  of  the  symposiums  brought  the  fol- 
lowing suggestive  letter  from  Miss  Helen  Gould: 

• 

LYNDHURST,  IRVINGTON-ON-HUDSON. 
MR.  Louis  KLOPSCH, 

Dear  Sir:  Your  letter  of  October  4th  is  at  hand  asking 
my  opinion  on  the  subject  "How  to  make  the  most  of  wealth." 
It  is  a  topic  on  which  I  am  not  well  qualified  to  speak,  and  I 
would  suggest  that  you  make  this  same  inquiry  of  some  of 
our  leading  clergymen  whose  views  would  be  a  great  inspira- 
tion to  us  all. 

The  Christian  idea  that  wealth  is  a  stewardship,  or  trust, 
and  not  to  be  used  for  one's  personal  pleasure  alone  but  for 
the  welfare  of  others,  certainly  seems  the  noblest,  and  those 
who  have  more  money  or  broader  culture  owe  a  debt  to  those 
who  have  had  fewer  opportunities.  And  there  are  so  many 
ways  in  which  one  can  help! 

Children,  the  sick  and  the  aged  especially  have  claims  on 
our  attention,  and  the  forms  of  work  for  them  are  numerous, 
from  kindergartens,  day  nurseries  and  industrial  schools,  to 
"homes"  and  hospitals.  Our  institutions  for  higher  education 
require  gifts  in  order  to  do  their  best  work,  for  the  tuition  fees 
do  not  cover  the  expense  of  the  advantages  offered;  and  cer- 
tainly such  societies  as  those  in  our  churches,  and  the  Young 
Women's  Christian  Association  and  Young  Men's  Chris- 
tian Association  deserve  our  hearty  co-operation.  The  earnest 


312  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

workers  who  so  nobly  and  lovingly  give  their  lives  to  promote 
the  welfare  of  others,  give  far  more  than  though  they  had  simply 
made  gifts  of  money,  so  those  who  cannot  afford  to  give  largely 
need  not  feel  discouraged  on  that  account.  After  all,  sympathy 
and  good  will  may  be  a  greater  force  than  wealth,  and  we  can 
all  extend  to  others  a  kindly  feeling  and  courteous  considera- 
tion that  will  make  life  sweeter  and  better. 

Sometimes  it  seems  to  me  we  do  not  sufficiently  realise  the 
good  that  is  done  by  money  that  is  used  in  the  different  indus- 
tries in  giving  employment  to  great  numbers  of  people  under 
the  direction  of  clever  men  and  women;  and  surely  it  takes 
more  ability,  perseverance  and  time  to  successfully  manage 
such  an  enterprise  than  to  merely  make  gifts. 

You  will,  I  am  sure,  be  sorry  you  have  made  the  inquiry 
of  me  since  I  have  given  you  so  little  information,  but  I  think 
you  can  easily  obtain  opinions  that  will  be  far  more  helpful 
than  mine.  Believe  me, 

Very  truly, 

HELEN  MILLER  GOULD. 

October  8th,  1900. 

The  Rev.  Charles  H.  Spurgeon,  the  famous  Baptist 
preacher  of  England,  who  for  a  generation  thrilled 
the  Christian  world  with  his  eloquent  messages,  was 
a  contributor  in  the  early  days  of  The  Christian 
Herald.  His  sermons  were  published  in  its  columns 
until  his  death  in  1892. 

The  columns  of  The  Christian  Herald  bear  evi- 
dence to  the  famous  men  and  women  who  have  been 
contributors.  Most  of  these  were  glad  to  secure 
such  a  medium.  The  Rev.  Charles  M.  Sheldon,  the 
author  of  "In  His  Steps,"  was  a  frequent  contributor, 
both  of  serials  and  of  short  articles.  When  Pastor 
Sheldon  began  the  experiment  of  printing  a  daily 
paper  in  Topeka,  such  as  he  believed  Christ  would 


EDITOR  AND  PUBLISHER  313 

have  sanctioned,  Dr.  Klopsch  sent  a  special  repre- 
sentative to  Topeka  to  describe  the  experiment. 

The  Rev.  Cyrus  Townsend  Brady  contributed 
some  of  his  stirring  fiction.  Marion  Harland  was 
a  regular  contributor. 

Blind  Fanny  Crosby,  whose  sweet  hymns  have 
brought  consolation  to  millions  of  Christian  hearts, 
published  many  of  her  hymns  for  the  first  time  in 
The  Christian  Herald.  On  her  ninetieth  birthday  in 
1910,  a  sketch  of  her  appeared. 

Mrs.  Amelia  E.  Barr,  the  writer  of  wholesome  fic- 
tion, found  place  for  many  of  her  serial  stories. 

Florence  Morse  Kingsley  was  one  of  Dr.  Klopsch's 
valued  contributors. 

Marietta  Holley,  better  known  as  "Aunt  Saman- 
tha,"  brightened  its  columns  by  her  own  humor  with 
its  moral  tone. 

Pastor  Charles  Wagner  also  found  the  medium 
for  reiterating  his  messages  on  the  "Simple  Life'* 
in  the  columns  of  The  Christian  Herald.  A  very  in- 
teresting story  of  his  visit  to  Dr.  Klopsch,  and  the 
story  of  his  own  work,  was  published  in  November, 
1894,  in  The  Christian  Herald.  Some  excerpts  are 
made  from  the  article: 

"It  was  a  day  of  bright,  sparkling  sunshine.  New 
York's  principal  streets  were  crowded  with  gay  holi- 
day shoppers,  and  Broadway  was  almost  impassable, 
owing  to  the  multitude  who  thronged  the  sidewalks 
and  streamed  in  and  out  of  the  stores.  Women  pre- 
dominated, and  all  ages  and  conditions  were  repre- 
sented. The  brilliant  displays  in  the  shop  windows 
drew  in  a  steady  stream  of  buyers. 

"On  the  same  day  of  the  scene  above  described, 


314  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

Pastor  Wagner  entered  The  Christian  Herald  offices 
in  the  Bible  House.  He  came  unannounced,  his  tall, 
athletic  form  filling  the  doorway,  and  a  smile  lighting 
up  his  ruddy  face.  The  Alsatian  is  a  well-pre- 
served man  of  fifty-two,  broad-shouldered,  and  with 
a  physique  which  suggests  athletic  power.  A  slight 
stoop  betrays  the  student.  He  stood  irresolute  for 
a  moment. 

*  'Pardon  me,'  he  began.  'I  came  to  see  a  gentle- 
man —  I  quite  forget  his  name  —  the  man  who  went 
to  India,  Finland  and  Norwegen,  to  feed  those  famine 
people.' 

"This  unconventional  introduction  sufficed,  and  a 
moment  later  Pastor  Wagner  was  ensconced  in  the 
biggest  and  easiest  leather  chair  in  the  editorial  sanc- 
tum. Warmly  greeted  by  Dr.  Klopsch  and  associates, 
he  began  to  talk  freely  of  his  American  visit  and 
his  work  at  home. 

"  Being  asked  concerning  his  work  at  home,  he  said: 
'It  is  twenty-three  years  ago  since  I  began  the  work 
on  which  I  am  now  engaged.  My  purpose  was  to 
present  to  my  own  people  a  clearer  view  of  practical 
religion,  which  all  might  understand,  and  to  bring 
to  them  a  definite  comprehension  of  the  purpose  for 
which  we  are  placed  in  this  world.' ' 

Ira  D.  Sankey,  Moody's  comrade,  the  song  evan- 
gelist, was  one  of  Dr.  Klopsch's  earliest  friends, 
and  his  contributions  appeared  in  the  journal. 
Dwight  L.  Moody  was  one  of  Dr.  Klopsch's  most 
valued  and  appreciative  friends,  and  his  contribu- 
tions to  The  Christian  Herald  were  most  welcome. 
The  great  evangelist  never  forgot  the  services  which 
Dr.  Klopsch  so  freely  rendered  to  the  causes  which 
were  dearest  to  his  heart.  In  1894,  when  the  Bible 
Institute  at  Chicago  was  in  financial  .straits,  Dr. 


EDITOR  AND  PUBLISHER  315 

Klopsch  came  to  the  front  at  once  and  started  the 
"Moody  Gospel  Fund,"  making  one  of  his  direct 
appeals  to  his  readers.  He  sent  a  check  for  $1,000 
as  the  first  response  to  his  appeal,  and  followed  it 
with  later  contributions,  explaining  that  the  fund 
was  being  raised  to  enable  the  Bible  Institute  hi 
Chicago  to  train,  educate,  and  send  forth  an  army 
of  Christian  workers  among  the  millions  of  unevan- 
gelized  in  the  cities  and  towns  of  America. 

"The  Bible  Institute,'*  said  The  Christian  Herald, 
"is  to  the  world's  hosts  what  the  drilling  camp  is  to 
an  army.  It  trains  the  raw  recruit  into  the  trained 
soldier.  A  thrilling  national  peril  may  call  out  thou- 
sands of  fine  men  to  the  national  standard,  but  it 
would  be  only  courting  defeat  to  lead  them  imme- 
diately like  a  helpless  mob  against  the  enemy. 
Enthusiasm  is  not  sufficient,  as  great  generals  have 
proven  again  and  again.  The  recruit  must  be  taught 
the  use  of  his  weapons,  must  learn  how  to  turn  them 
to  account,  and  how  to  cooperate  with  others.  In 
opposing  the  great  adversary  of  souls,  like  prepara- 
tion is  needed,  as  the  untrained  worker  finds  to  his 
cost.  And  to  do  this  effectively,  the  facilities  of  the 
Bible  Institute  must  at  once  be  increased  tenfold. 
It  is  a  campaign  in  which  there  is  no  retreat." 

A  grateful  and  encouraging  acknowledgment  of  the 
first  contribution  was  received  from  Mr.  Moody.  It 
was  as  follows: 

EAST  NORTHFIELD,  MASS.,  July  16,  1894. 
DEAR  MR.  KLOPSCH:  I  beg  to  acknowledge  receipt  of  your 
check  for  $1,000  for  the  Bible  Institute  of  Chicago.     Permit 
me  to  thank  you  for  your  kindness  in  allowing  The  Christian 


316  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

Herald  to  become  the  vehicle  for  presenting  to  the  public  the 
claims  of  the  Institute,  and  to  thank  your  readers  through  you 
for  their  prompt  and  generous  response  to  the  appeal.  To 
every  one  of  your  readers  who  has  contributed  to  this  fund  I 
wish  to  express  my  sincere  gratitude.  They  are  helping  the 
cause  of  Christ  more  than  they  know.  The  doors  of  the  Insti- 
tute are  besieged  by  earnest  consecrated  intelligent  men  and 
women  who  need  only  such  training  as  is  given  in  the  Institute 
to  become  successful  soul-winners.  This  money  that  comes 
through  you  enables  us  to  receive  some  of  them.  But  there 
are  many  others  still  waiting.  For  them  I  appeal.  Christ 
waits  for  their  services,  the  world  waits  for  their  life-giving 
message.  I  long  to  send  them  forth  properly  equipped  for 
their  work.  May  I  hope  that  you  will  continue  to  receive  con- 
tributions for  the  purpose?  And  may  God  bless  you  and  your 
noble  journal  and  your  generous  readers. 

(Signed)     D.  L.  MOODY. 

The  Christian  Herald  continued  to  raise  contribu- 
tions for  the  Institute  at  Chicago,  and  since  that 
period  it  has  been  a  constant  supporter  of  the  Bible 
Institute  at  East  Northfield,  Mass.,  cooperating, 
after  the  death  of  Dwight  L.  Moody,  with  his  son, 
W.  R.  Moody.  A  striking  series  of  unpublished  ser- 
mons of  the  great  evangelist  was  published  in  The 
Christian  Herald  in  the  summer  of  1910. 

In  his  editorial  aides,  Dr.  Klopsch  always  had 
loyal  support.  For  years  Dr.  B.  J.  Fernie  was  one 
of  the  associate  editors  and  gave  his  fervent  piety 
and  great  industry  to  the  work.  Dr.  G.  H.  Sandi- 
son,  who  still  continues  as  the  managing  editor  of  the 
paper,  was  associated  with  Dr.  Klopsch  for  twenty 
years.  Mrs.  Margaret  E.  Sangster  has  almost  as 
long  a  service.  Dr.  Ferdinand  C.  Iglehart  was  a 
later  and  valued  addition  to  the  editorial  depart- 


EDITOR  AND  PUBLISHER  317 

ment.  In  the  art  department,  which  was  always  a 
feature  of  the  paper  because  Dr.  Klopsch  believed 
that  there  was  no  greater  educating  influence  than 
good  pictures,  Mr.  A.  J.  Belford  presided  for  years 
and  still  remains. 

An  instance  where  Dr.  Klopsch  put  The  Christian 
Herald  to  a  most  effective  use  by  an  aggressive 
campaign  was  in  the  demand  that  the  motto,  "In 
God  We  Trust,"  be  restored  to  the  national  coinage. 
It  may  be  remembered  that  in  1907,  for  so-called 
artistic  reasons,  the  motto  was  taken  off  and  the 
coins  of  the  United  States  appeared  without  it. 

The  story  of  the  motto  was  told  in  a  letter  to 
The  Christian  Herald  by  C.  R.  Gehrhart  of  Lock- 
haven,  Perm.  In  1861,  President  Lincoln  appointed 
Ex-Governor  James  Pollock  of  that  state,  Director 
of  the  United  States  Mint.  Governor  Pollock  had 
been  called  "the  great  Christian  Governor  of  Penn- 
sylvania," as  Andrew  G.  Curtin,  who  succeeded  him, 
was  "the  War  Governor."  He  was  a  ruling  elder 
in  the  Presbyterian  Church  for  well-nigh  a  genera- 
tion. He  was  a  lawyer  of  eminence,  having  gradu- 
ated from  Princeton  College.  He  served  in  Congress 
and  was  instrumental  in  getting  the  appropriation 
to  build  the  experimental  telegraph  line  between 
Baltimore  and  Washington,  which  his  friend  Prof. 
S.  F.  B.  Morse  organized.  Mr.  Pollock  for  many 
years  was  Sunday  School  Superintendent  of  the  West 
Arch  Presbyterian  Church,  Philadelphia.  He  was 
President  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  Lafayette 
College  and  President  of  the  American  Sunday 
School  Union.  Mr.  Pollock  enjoyed  the  friendship 


318  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

and  confidence  of  President  Lincoln,  and  there  is 
every  reason  to  believe  that  the  bill  which  he  framed, 
and  which  provided  for  the  motto,  was  approved  by 
Mr.  Lincoln.  The  bill  passed  both  House  and  Sen- 
ate by  unanimous  vote,  and  until  the  brief  period  in 
1907,  and  the  early  part  of  1908,  "In  God  We  Trust" 
appeared  on  our  national  coinage. 

Dr.  Klopsch  did  not  question  the  motives  of  those 
who  had  been  responsible  for  removing  the  motto. 
He  simply  demanded  in  the  name  of  the  Christian 
people  of  America  that  it  be  restored.  In  response 
to  this  demand,  numerous  bills  were  introduced  in 
Congress  for  that  purpose,  and  many  Congressmen 
pledged  their  support.  The  result  was  victory  for 
the  motto.  In  March,  1908,  the  bill  for  restoring  it 
passed  the  House  of  Representatives  by  a  vote  of 
259  yeas  to  5  nays.  In  the  debate,  Representative 
Ellis  of  South  Carolina  quoted  the  following  verse 
on  the  subject: 

We  bowed  before  the  shrine  of  wealth, 
And,  drunk  with  riches,  went  astray, 

Restore,  O  God,  the  nation's  health 
And  lead  it  in  the  old  true  way! 

In  sorrow,  shame  and  vain  regret, 

We  plead  that  thou  will  spare  us  yet. 

The  measure  was  soon  passed  by  the  Senate,  and 
the  motto  was  later  restored  to  the  national  coinage 
of  the  United  States. 

When  the  women  of  America  started  the  agitation 
against  what  was  considered  recognition  of  plural 
marriage  by  allowing  a  Mormon  Representative 
from  Utah  to  be  seated  in  Congress,  The  Christian 


EDITOR  AND  PUBLISHER  319 

Herald  was  in  full  sympathy  with  them.  Its  columns 
were  opened  to  their  protests,  and  a  great  national 
movement  began,  which  resulted  in  triumph  for  the 
women,  the  Mormon  Congressman  retiring  from 
his  seat.  In  this  campaign,  The  Christian  Herald 
secured  the  legal  opinion  of  the  eminent  jurist, 
Ex-Senator  George  F.  Edmunds,  regarding  the  best 
form  for  a  constitutional  amendment,  which  would 
meet  the  vital  question. 

For  the  temperance  movement  in  all  its  forms, 
The  Christian  Herald  was  always  open.  It  con- 
stantly encouraged  every  organized  effort  to  grapple 
with  the  drink  evil,  and  the  Women's  Christian 
Temperance  Union  and  other  organizations  of  wide 
scope  and  genuine  activity  always  found  support 
from  Dr.  Klopsch. 

There  are  other  phases  of  Dr.  Klopsch's  career  as 
an  editor  and  publisher  which  give  an  insight  into 
some  of  his  remarkable  characteristics.  It  was  here 
that  his  originality,  his  fertility  of  invention,  his 
ableness  in  trying  new  ideas,  found  their  fullest  scope. 
In  his  business  relations  he  was  noted  among  the 
publishers  of  the  country  as  one  who  had  the  execu- 
tive quality  developed  to  an  extraordinary  degree. 
He  was  a  master  of  men  and  knew  how  to  use  a  large 
force  to  the  best  advantage.  He  constantly  invited 
the  submission  of  new  ideas,  and  it  was  amusing  to 
note  the  deftness  with  which  he  sifted  them  out  and 
adapted  them  to  practical  uses,  never  failing  to 
recognize  and  reward  the  suggester. 

The  value  of  publicity  in  every  proper  form  was 
something  that  Dr.  Klopsch  keenly  appreciated. 


320  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

He  did  not  believe  that  a  publisher  should  hide  his 
light  under  a  bushel,  nor  that  a  public  man  who 
served  a  large  constituency,  distributed  over  an 
entire  continent,  should  be  a  recluse.  A  favorite 
motto  of  his  was: 

Do  all  the  good  you  can, 
To  everybody  you  can, 
And  tell  all  the  people  you  can. 

This  is  sound  logic  and  good  practical  business 
philosophy.  The  result  was  that  his  name  and  work 
became  known  throughout  the  whole  country,  and 
in  many  other  lands.  He  did  not  do  this  for  vain- 
glory; it  was  with  him  purely  a  matter  of  business. 
There  was  no  man  in  the  publishing  business  in 
America  who  was  more  widely  known.  From  the 
farming  districts  and  stock  raising  ranches  in  the  far 
West  up  to  Alaska,  up  and  down  through  the  great 
Canadian  Northwest,  down  to  the  borders  of  Mex- 
ico, and  in  every  state  in  the  Union,  his  name  was 
a  household  word,  synonymous  with  big  charitable 
enterprises. 

Another  evidence  of  his  appreciation  of  the  value 
of  publicity  was  found  in  his  methods  of  advertising. 
He  looked  beyond  mere  monetary  results  and  saw 
the  advantages  to  be  derived  from  the  impression 
made  on  the  public  mind,  and  especially  on  the 
minds  of  the  publishing  trade  and  general  adver- 
tisers. His  advertising  broadsides  thus  had  a  double 
object  in  view:  they  brought  in  subscriptions  by 
the  tens  of  thousands,  and  sold  innumerable  premi- 
ums, and  they  also  placed  his  journal  at  the  top  of 


EDITOR  AND  PUBLISHER  321 

the  ladder  for  advertising  propaganda,  and  gave 
it  a  high  standing  among  advertisers  generally.  In 
the  Periodical  Publishers'  Association,  which  is  com- 
posed of  the  leading  weekly  and  monthly  magazines 
and  journals  of  the  United  States,  Dr.  Klopsch  was 
an  influential  factor.  His  judgment  was  highly 
respected  by  his  associates,  who  frequently  sought 
his  advice. 

A  trade  paper,  Printers'  Ink,  in  discussing  Dr. 
Klopsch's  position,  said: 

The  religious  press  has  no  other  personal  representative  who 
combines  evangelical  enthusiasm  and  business  methods  like 
Louis  Klopsch.  Of  course  that  is  what  we  would  look  for  in 
a  man  that  built  up  a  great  newspaper  property  upon  the 
foundations  of  the  nation's  belief  in  missionaries,  and  an 
inherited  fondness  for  universal  salvation.  He  publishes  a 
paper  that  makes  an  elementary  appeal  to  the  people  who 
believe  in  the  Christian  religion.  His  clientele  is  the  civilized 
world.  The  enterprising  and  progressive  paper  that  seeks 
new  fields  must  go  far  abroad.  Louis  Klopsch  has  success- 
fully led  The  Christian  Herald  into  that  vague  pasturage;  but, 
after  all,  the  man  is  there.  Charitable  impulses  could  follow 
the  pulse  of  the  people  until  they  died  from  self-suffoca- 
tion. Unless  they  were  directed  and  aided  to  a  healthful 
flow,  that  is  what  would  happen.  That  is  what  Louis  Klopsch 
professes  to  have  done.  He  says,  "I  apply  twentieth  century 
methods  to  the  new  necessities  of  a  crowded  twentieth  century 
life."  His  mind  deals  with  great  suffering,  and  he  seeks  to 
relieve  it  by  great  methods. 

Dr.  Klopsch  himself  did  not  object  to  being  called 
sensational,  when  that  term  was  not  misunderstood. 
His  views  on  this  point  were  given  in  a  New  York 
newspaper,  which  published  a  symposium  at  a  time 


LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

when  there  was  much  talk  about  sensationalism  in 
the  pulpit.  Dr.  Klopsch  wrote: 

"Everything  that  is  in  the  domain  of  public 
morals;  everything  that  makes  for  or  against  public 
virtue;  everything  that  tends  to  uplift  or  debase 
a  community,  state  or  nation,  is  a  fitting  subject  for 
consideration  by  the  Christian  pulpit.  Christ  him- 
self set  the  example  of  wholesome  and  fearless  criti- 
cism in  his  dealings  with  conditions  and  events  as 
he  found  them.  He  scored  the  corrupters,  the 
squanderers,  the  usurers,  the  selfish  rich  and  the 
publicans  or  politicians,  as  deservedly  as  he  rebuked 
the  scribes  and  Pharisees. 

"The  pulpit  differs  from  the  press  and  the  public 
forum  in  the  sense  that  it  is  specifically  spiritual. 
It  should  not  lend  itself  to  political  methods,  nor 
permit  itself  to  be  used  for  the  purpose  of  any  party 
or  faction.  If  it  does  so,  its  influence  instantly 
ceases.  To  indulge  in  individual  criticism  of  per- 
sons, simply  because  they  happen  to  be  prominent 
in  public  affairs  or  finance,  is  in  the  worst  possible 
taste,  and  wholly  out  of  place  in  a  pulpit.  At  the 
same  time,  the  preacher  who,  in  consequence  of  the 
liberal  gifts  or  the  generous  support  of  the  rich, 
allows  himself  to  become  blind  to  the  existence  of 
wrongs  that  ought  to  be  righted,  and  evils  that 
should  be  denounced,  is  a  faithless  shepherd,  untrue 
to  his  high  calling,  and  unworthy  the  confidence  of 
his  people." 

In  the  other  aspects  of  his  work  as  editor  and 
publisher,  Dr.  Klopsch  came  into  the  most  intimate 
relation  with  those,  who,  while  actual  strangers  to 


EDITOR  AND  PUBLISHER  323 

him,  felt  that  he  was  not  a  stranger  to  them.  Men 
wrote  to  him  for  advice  about  their  business  affairs, 
and  as  to  the  distribution  of  funds  for  benevolent 
and  church  purposes;  preachers  of  all  denomina- 
tions addressed  him  as  "Dear  Brother  Klopsch." 
Churches  carried  their  troubles  to  him,  and  he  was 
a  reliable  and  sagacious  adviser. 

In  his  large  enterprises  outside  of  The  Christian 
Herald,  he  came  in  contact  with  people  of  high 
station,  not  only  at  home,  but  also  abroad.  By 
sheer  force  of  gravity  he  came  to  the  front  in  almost 
every  national  and  international  enterprise  of  benevo- 
lent or  humane  character.  All  of  these  things  gave 
the  man  and  his  journal  the  highest  imaginable 
prestige,  and  put  it  upon  a  pinnacle  of  popularity  as 
an  organ  of  wide-spread  humanitarianism  such  as  no 
other  publication  in  the  world  has  ever  before 
enjoyed.  Yet,  with  all  the  publicity  and  honor  and 
attention  that  were  bestowed  upon  him,  Dr.  Klopsch 
did  not  overestimate  their  value,  but  took  them 
rather  as  a  tribute  to  the  work  than  to  himself.  He 
often  expressed  his  simple  gratitude  at  being  chosen 
as  the  instrument  by  which  so  many  of  God's  people 
all  over  the  country  could  work  out  their  plans  for 
the  betterment  of  humanity. 

"I  am  merely  the  channel,"  he  would  say,  "through 
which  these  good  people  are  working.  It  is  their 
good  hearts  and  generous  hands,  supplemented  by 
my  head,  which  is  accomplishing  these  things,  and  I 
esteem  it  a  pleasure  and  a  privilege  to  be  so  used." 

When  he  had  no  great  enterprises  on  hand  to 
engross  his  attention  and  demand  his  utmost  ener- 


S24  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

gies,  he  would  be  sure  to  find  in  some  corner  of  the 
daily  newspapers,  or  in  some  letter  received  through 
the  mail,  a  case  worthy  of  attention.  It  might  be 
some  poor  family  about  to  be  dispossessed,  for  whom 
he  would  offer  to  pay  the  rent,  or  secure  new  quar- 
ters; and  he  would  never  omit  to  send  a  supply  of 
food  from  the  nearest  grocery  or  bakery.  Some  old 
farmer  at  a  distance,  about  to  lose  his  property,  would 
be  succored  temporarily  and  helped  to  fight  out  the 
battle  under  better  auspices.  These  cases,  which 
were  constantly  occurring,  were  merely  incidents, 
as  he  looked  on  them,  in  his  business  as  an  editor 
and  publisher. 

It  would  be  difficult  to  estimate  the  good  that  Dr. 
Klopsch  did  in  his  publishing  business,  by  supply- 
ing good  literature  at  popular  prices.  Many  of 
the  books  he  issued,  either  as  premiums  with  The 
Christian  Herald,  or  as  separate  ventures,  have  a 
permanent  value  and  go  to  make  up  many  a  library. 
His  greatest  work  as  a  publisher  probably  was  in 
Bible  distribution.  Dr.  Klopsch,  having  all  his  life 
been  an  ardent  student  of  the  Bible,  conceived  the 
idea  which  took  form  in  the  issue  of  the  "Red 
Letter  Bible."  This  he  designed  to  show,  first,  the 
words  in  the  New  Testament  actually  spoken  by 
the  Saviour;  and  second,  the  prophetic  references 
to  Christ  in  the  Old  Testament.  To  carry  out  this 
idea,  he  engaged  the  services  of  a  number  of  dis- 
tinguished Bible  scholars,  including  several  leading 
college  professors  in  this  country  and  abroad.  To 
each  of  these  he  wrote  explaining  the  nature  of  the 
work,  and  giving  to  each  a  certain  part  of  the  books 


EDITOR  AND  PUBLISHER  325 

of  the  Old  and  New  Testaments  to  mark  for  the 
"Red  Letter"  edition.  When  the  entire  Bible  was 
finished,  the  separate  books  were  then  interchanged 
among  these  workers,  so  that  each  eminent  scholar 
practically  went  over  the  entire  Bible  and  annotated 
the  work  already  done  by  the  others.  Many  months 
were  occupied  in  this  interchange,  but  at  last  the 
task  was  accomplished. 

The  "Red  Letter  Testament"  was  produced,  and 
it  met  with  such  instant  success  that  soon  the  entire 
Bible  was  put  in  press.  Since  then  it  has  been  sold 
all  over  the  world  and  has  been  of  the  greatest 
assistance  to  Bible  students  everywhere.  Their 
Majesties  the  King  and  Queen  of  Sweden  made  a 
special  acknowledgment  of  their  appreciation  of  the 
"Red  Letter  Testament."  An  edition  of  the  "Red 
Letter  Testament"  was  published  in  German.  "Red 
Letter  Bibles"  have  been  issued  by  various  publish- 
ing houses  in  imitation  of  Dr.  Klopsch's  original 
product,  and  they  have  met  with  a  large  sale. 

It  is  doubtful  whether  any  single  agency  equalled 
Dr.  Klopsch  as  a  Bible  distributor.  During  his 
management  of  The  Christian  Herald,  it  is  estimated 
that  for  many  years  he  issued  not  less  than  60,000 
Bibles  and  Testaments  annually,  both  black  and 
red  letter.  The  various  Bible  societies  awarded  him 
the  honor  of  being  the  one  man  above  all  others 
who  helped  to  make  the  Bible  the  most  widely  read 
book  on  the  North  American  continent. 


CHAPTER    XVIII 

THE  MAN  AND   HIS  METHODS 

HARKS  OF  GREAT  BUSINESS  CAPACITY  —  HOW  HIS  PHILANTHROPIC  CAMPAIGNS 
WERE  ORGANIZED WATS  OF  COLLECTING  FUNDS MANNER  OF  DISTRIBU- 
TION   A  SACRED  STEWARDSHIP DR.  KLOPSCH's  INTIMATE  PERSONAL  RE- 
LATIONSHIP WITH  RELIEF  CONTRIBUTORS INSTANCES  OF  QUICK  PERCEPTION 

—  MR.  SANDIBON'S  ACCOUNT  OF  GOING  AHEAD  ON  FAITH  —  APPLICATION  OF 

ABILITY  IN  HIS  OWN  AFFAIRS THINKING  IN  FIGURES AN  HOUR  IN  "THE 

CHRISTIAN  HERALD"  OFFICE  —  ADVICE  TO  A  CONVICT  —  KINDLY  RELATIONS 
WITH  ASSOCIATES  AND  EMPLOYEES IMPRESSIONS  OF  A  FOREIGN  VISITOR 

—  PERSONALITY  ANALYZED   BY  A  HINDU  JOURNALIST  —  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

ACTIVITIES. 

WORKS  speak  for  the  man.    The  wide  field 
of  philanthropy  covered  by  Dr.  Klopsch's 
various  enterprises  could  only  have  been 
undertaken  by  a  man  of  the  broadest   sympathies. 
He  was  born  into  the  world  to  do  good  —  one  of 
the  great  inspirational  forces  of  his  generation.     In 
all  he  did  the  evangelical  spirit  was  dominant.    Yet 
his  charitable  impulses  and  benevolent  instincts  were 
always  regulated  by  sound  judgment  and  common 
sense. 

These  qualities  were  really  the  marks  of  great 
business  capacity.  Dr.  Klopsch  was  a  master  of 
commercial  organization.  He  had  the  faculty  of  in- 
tuition coupled  with  extraordinary  executive  ability. 
All  that  he  did  was  regulated  by  system.  The  results 
were  shown  in  the  management  of  his  own  vast  and 
complicated  business  and  in  the  management  of  the 
campaigns  for  charity  which  made  him  famous. 

326 


THE  MAN  AND  HIS  METHODS  327 

Dr.  Klopsch  had  faith  in  the  goodness  of  human 
nature.  He  knew  that  the  vast  majority  of  people 
are  ever  ready  to  make  sacrifices  themselves  in  order 
to  relieve  suffering  and  to  make  the  world  better 
by  their  own  individual  effort.  But  he  also  realized 
that,  with  most  people,  it  is  difficult  to  translate 
these  benevolent  instincts  into  practical  operation. 
What  is  needed  is  some  one  to  show  the  way.  Dr. 
Klopsch  was  the  man  who  showed  the  way  for  those 
who  were  ready  to  do  good. 

His  idea  of  charity  was  of  the  simplest  ele- 
mentary sort.  It  consisted  of  three  things  —  to  feed 
the  hungry,  to  send  or  carry  aid  to  the  sick,  and  to 
spread  the  Gospel  message  everywhere.  The  record 
of  his  life-work,  as  given  in  the  chapters  of  this 
book,  show  some  of  the  deserving  causes  which 
enlisted  him,  and  there  were  many  others.  He 
raised  money  for  a  large  number  of  weak  and  strug- 
gling schools  and  churches,  benevolent  institutions 
and  rescue  missions;  for  evangelistic  work;  for  the 
dissemination  of  the  Gospel  at  home  and  abroad; 
for  indigent  homes  for  children  and  adults;  for 
Gospel  missions  in  the  Cumberland  Mountains  and 
the  Ozarks,  and  for  a  variety  of  other  good  causes. 

Dr.  Klopsch  knew  that  ordinary,  conservative 
methods  are  not  enough  to  meet  great  emergencies 
such  as  famines,  and  disasters  such  as  earthquakes. 
With  him,  in  these  matters,  to  think  was  to  act. 
He  applied  literally  the  French  maxim,  "Be  bold, 
and  evermore  be  bold,"  when  the  emergency  arose. 
Usually  he  did  not  wait  to  have  the  funds  in  hand 
when  the  need  was  a  pressing  one.  He  would 


328  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

prepare  his  appeal  and  then  make  a  contribution  in 
advance,  oftentimes  a  very  large  sum,  but  always 
confident  that  The  Christian  Herald  readers  and  the 
others  to  whom  it  was  addressed  would  respond. 
His  plan  was  to  make  known  the  situation  which 
required  succor;  explain  the  needs  so  that  contribu- 
tors to  relief  funds  would  know  just  what  was  asked 
of  them;  forward  by  cable  the  first  remittance,  and 
then  begin  the  work  of  collection  in  a  systematic 
way. 

In  securing  funds  and  in  making  known  distress- 
ing situations,  he  adopted  modern  methods.  He  did 
not  hesitate  to  advertise  the  distress  which  it  was 
sought  to  relieve.  The  columns  of  The  Christian 
Herald  were  filled  with  vivid  descriptions.  In  other 
religious  journals  he  placed  advertisements.  Many 
of  these  journals,  lacking  the  means  themselves 
of  collecting  and  distributing  funds,  were  glad  to 
cooperate  in  this  manner,  knowing  that  with  Dr. 
Klopsch  in  control,  the  philanthropic  effort  would 
not  go  amiss.  He  also,  by  means  of  circulars  and 
leaflets,  supplemented  the  newspaper  appeals. 

When  the  stream  of  contributions  was  fairly 
started,  more  attention  would  be  paid  to  distribu- 
tion. Dr.  Klopsch,  wherever  possible,  sought  himself 
to  see  how  the  work  went  on.  This  was  the  motive 
of  his  personal  visits  during  the  famine  periods  to 
Russia,  to  Finland,  India,  Cuba,  and  Italy.  Always 
he  sought  the  cooperation  of  the  missionaries,  who 
were  on  the  ground,  and  through  them  he  reached 
the  classes  whom  he  knew  that  the  contributors 
to  The  Christian  Herald  funds  were  most  anxious  to 


THE  MAN  AND  HIS  METHODS 

have  reached.  The  aid  of  the  government  officials 
in  Washington,  and  in  the  various  countries  where 
the  distress  existed,  was  always  sought  and  given. 
Local  relief  committees  and  appropriate  representa- 
tives of  foreign  governments  were  enlisted.  The  Red 
Cross  Society  of  every  country  was  recognized  in  his 
work. 

An  explanation  of  the  principle  which  governed 
the  distribution  was  made  in  an  editorial  in  answer 
to  an  inquiry  received  from  a  contributor,  who  wanted 
to  know  how  much  Dr.  Klopsch  would  distribute 
while  he  was  among  the  famine  sufferers  in  Finland. 

"I  will  distribute  no  money  at  all,"  said  the 
editorial.  "No  one  connected  with  The  Christian 
Herald  ever  undertakes  the  distribution  of  funds 
entrusted  to  his  care  for  use  in  any  benevolent  or 
missionary  field.  In  every  instance  —  in  Cuba, 
Russia,  China,  Porto  Rico,  Armenia  and  India,  as 
well  as  now  in  Finland  —  the  money  is  invariably 
administered  by  missionaries  or  by  representative 
local  resident  committees  under  the  supervision  of  a 
resident  general  or  central  committee  which  is  charged 
with  the  relief  of  suffering. 

"Experience  in  humanitarian  work  in  many  lands 
has  convinced  The  Christian  Herald  that  the  repu- 
table, intelligent,  Christian  residents  of  the  country 
where  such  work  is  needed,  and  where  relief  monies 
are  to  be  distributed,  are  far  better  qualified  to  ad- 
minister such  a  trust  than  any  outsiders,  resident 
in  a  distant  country.  They  know  the  field  and  the 
people,  and  are  familiar  with  their  needs;  conse- 
quently, they  are  in  a  position  to  conduct  the  dis- 


330  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

tribution  of  relief  in  a  far  more  judicious  and  effective 
manner  than  could  be  possible  for  the  management 
of  The  Christian  Herald,  located  thousands  of  miles 
away." 

This  principle  was  always  adhered  to,  but  either  by 
his  own  visits  or  by  sending  special  commissioners, 
Dr.  Klopsch  was  able  above  all  things  to  see  that 
the  distribution  was  properly  attended  to  by  the 
various  agencies  to  which  it  was  entrusted. 

In  collecting  funds,  no  sum  was  too  small  to  be 
received  and  accounted  for.  It  has  been  noted  how 
often  the  dime  and  the  quarter  occur  in  the  list  of 
contributions,  and  of  dollar  contributions  to  the 
funds  the  totals  run  up  into  the  hundreds  of  thou- 
sands. The  strictest  account  was  kept.  Book- 
keeping methods  were  rigorously  applied.  Dr. 
Klopsch  knew  how  often  funds  are  apt  to  be  wasted 
or  lost  through  unwise  methods,  and  he  also  knew 
how  many  persons  there  are  with  the  very  best  of 
intentions,  who  have  no  conception  of  the  necessity 
of  strict  business  methods  in  everything  that  relates 
to  charity  and  philanthropy. 

Following  this  idea,  the  receipt  of  funds  would  be 
acknowledged  in  The  Christian  Herald,  the  state  in 
which  the  contributor  lived  being  given,  but  not  the 
residence,  so  that  everyone  could  see  his  or  her 
contribution  placed  on  record.  Then,  when  the 
time  came  for  the  fund  to  be  closed,  announcement 
would  be  made,  and  later  would  appear  the  detailed 
account  of  receipts  and  disbursements,  certified  by 
the  public  accountants  who  had  audited  them. 
Every  item  of  expense  of  collection  and  of  disburse- 


THE  MAN  AND  HIS  METHODS  331 

ment  would  be  given  in  detail,  the  total  receipts, 
and  the  purpose  for  which  they  were  applied.  To 
Dr.  Klopsch  this  was  a  sacred  trust.  As  the  columns 
of  The  Christian  Herald  through  twenty  years  of  his 
activities  show  audited  statements  of  every  dollar 
received  and  disbursed  in  the  enormous  charity 
campaigns  which  were  conducted.  Of  more  than 
$700,000  that  went  to  India  (exclusive  of  orphan 
support),  there  is  a  complete  account,  and  also  of 
the  more  than  $600,000  to  China,  and  the  other 
famine  and  relief  movements,  which  footed  up  over 
$3,000,000,  which  Dr.  Klopsch  collected  and  disbursed. 
The  great  movements  are  given  fully,  but  the  details 
are  just  as  complete  as  for  the  minor  ones. 

In  all  this  work,  Dr.  Klopsch  was  in  the  most 
intimate  relation  with  his  subscribers  and  contribu- 
tors. His  appeals  to  them  were  in  the  nature  of  a 
personal  message.  Each  response  he  looked  on  as 
a  personal  message  of  confidence  to  himself.  Hence 
it  came  that  he  had  not  only  the  confidence  of 
Presidents  McKinley,  Roosevelt,  Taft,  and  high 
officials  at  Washington,  and  was  given  marks  of 
royal  honor  by  the  Czar  of  Russia,  the  Royal 
families  of  Denmark  and  Sweden,  the  King  of  Eng- 
land, and  the  King  of  Italy;  but  he  earned  the 
gratitude  of  millions  whose  sufferings  were  relieved 
and  of  hundreds  of  thousands  who  contributed  to 
the  relief  of  those  sufferings. 

The  keen  business  insight,  the  native  shrewdness, 
and  the  marvelous  perceptive  qualities  of  Dr.  Klopsch 
were  apparent  in  all  his  relief  work.  He  saw  almost 
at  a  glance  the  situations  which  were  so  often  pre- 


832  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

sented  to  him  and  which  others  could  resolve  only 
with  slowness.  In  five  minutes  he  would  look  at  a 
question  from  all  points  of  view,  would  foresee  the 
objections  and  difficulties,  and  determine  whether 
they  could  be  overcome.  In  as  short  a  time  he 
would  decide  whether  the  cause  should  be  helped 
or  not.  Here  his  common  sense  came  oftenest  into 
play.  Reports  would  come  of  distress  in  some 
quarter,  with  the  appeal  for  relief  before  the  nature 
and  extent  of  the  suffering  was  known.  That  would 
be  put  aside  until  more  light  could  be  had.  Another 
time  he  would  shake  his  head,  and  with  a  brief 
remark,  "an  unworthy  cause,"  would  dismiss  the 
case  which  was  presented  to  him.  Sometimes  he 
would  remark  regretfully,  "a  good  cause,  but  not 
in  the  right  hands." 

An  instance  of  Dr.  Klopsch's  quick  perception  as 
to  difficulties  was  shown  when  Miss  Ellen  M.  Stone, 
the  missionary  in  Macedonia,  was  kidnapped  by  the 
brigands.  Dr.  Klopsch  canvassed  the  whole  situa- 
tion. He  foresaw  the  objections  which  would  be 
made,  and  not  improperly,  to  raising  the  ransom 
fund.  He  realized  that  it  might  be  made  an  instru- 
ment of  blackmail,  and  he  knew  that  many  protests 
would  go  up  against  encouraging  a  relief  measure 
of  this  kind.  But  he  concluded  quickly  in  his  own 
mind  that  in  spite  of  these  drawbacks  and  of  the 
possible  consequences,  a  real  emergency  existed  and 
it  would  be  necessary  in  order  to  obtain  the  release 
of  Miss  Stone  to  raise  the  funds  for  the  ransom.  So 
within  ten  minutes  the  telephone  in  his  office  was 
working,  messages  were  speeding  over  the  country, 


THE  MAN  AND  HIS  METHODS  333 

and  The  Christian  Herald  fund  was  started  for  the 
ransom  of  Miss  Stone. 

In  other  cases,  his  perception  of  distress  that 
would  grow  hi  to  great  proportions  was  instantaneous. 
One  morning  the  newspapers  contained  dispatches 
intimating  that  a  famine  in  a  far-away  land  was 
worse  than  the  previous  accounts  had  stated,  was 
spreading,  and  that  the  government  of  the  country 
itself  might  require  foreign  aid.  That  morning,  in 
Washington,  the  writer  was  walking  across  Lafayette 
Park  when  a  cabinet  member  joined  him.  I  had 
on  previous  occasions  sought  and  secured  on  behalf 
of  Dr.  Klopsch  the  cooperation  of  this  official.  He 
had  been  reading  the  newspaper  dispatches.  He 
remarked,  "It  looks  as  though  we  will  have  to  turn 
in  and  help  those  poor  people.  I  suppose  I  will  find 
a  message  from  Dr.  Klopsch  when  I  reach  my  office. 
Have  you  heard  from  him?" 

Yes,  I  had  heard  from  him.  Dr.  Klopsch  had 
read  the  paper  at  his  early  cup  of  coffee,  and  at  my 
own  breakfast  I  had  got  a  long-distance  telephone 
message  asking  me  to  go  to  the  White  House  and 
solicit  the  cooperation  of  the  President  in  the  relief 
movement  which  he  proposed  to  start.  The  cabinet 
member,  when  he  reached  his  office,  was  not  disap- 
pointed. There  was  a  message  from  Dr.  Klopsch 
saying  the  emergency  was  great  and  that  he  wanted 
to  transmit  $10,000  by  cable  through  the  State  De- 
partment to  our  Consul  at  the  seat  of  suffering.  This 
famine  did  grow  and  became  appalling. 

Many  illustrations  of  Dr.  Klopsch's  quickness  of 
perception  and  action  are  given  by  those  who  were 


334  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

associated  with  him  in  his  editorial  and  other  work. 
Mr.  Sandison  (who  was  his  associate  for  over  twenty 
years),  writing  on  this  subject,  says: 

"An  urgent  appeal  would  be  made  by  missionaries 
in  some  remote  country  for  help  in  an  emergency. 
Such  a  case  would  usually  require  much  thought  and 
investigation  before  any  step  could  be  taken.  Dr. 
Klopsch  would  turn  to  the  telephone,  call  up  the 
State  Department  in  Washington,  or  get  into  com- 
munication with  the  ambassador,  or  cable  direct  to 
the  American  Minister  or  Consul-General  represent- 
ing the  United  States  in  the  country  in  question, 
and  would  soon  be  in  possession  of  the  essential 
facts,  which  would  convince  him  that  the  cause  was 
good  and  the  appeal  justified.  He  would  discuss 
with  his  associates  the  amount  of  relief  to  be  sent, 
and  their  counsel  would  usually  be  for  some  moderate 
sum,  but  Dr.  Klopsch  knew  his  readers  better  than 
any  other  man,  and  he  did  nothing  by  halves.  He 
would  cable  in  such  cases  a  remittance  for  ten  or 
twenty  thousand  dollars,  with  the  utmost  confidence 
that  the  cause  would  not  only  prove  worthy  of  such 
substantial  help,  but  that  it  was  one  that  would 
appeal  to  the  sympathy  of  his  constituency.  In 
such  emergencies,  his  intuition  and  judgment  never 
failed,  and  his  confidence  in  his  readers  was  abun- 
dantly justified.  He  would  simply  lay  such  cases 
before  his  readers  in  plain,  unvarnished  language, 
stating  that  he  already  had  advanced  such  an  amount, 
and  inviting  their  cooperation.  And  forthwith  the 
contributions  would  come  rolling  in,  increasing  in  vol- 
ume by  every  mail.  They  knew  him  and  trusted  him. 


THE  MAN  AND  HIS  METHODS  335 

"It  was  a  favorite  saying  of  his  that  he  liked  to 
go  ahead  on  faith.  What  to  other  men  might  have 
seemed  like  plunging,  was  to  him  an  exercise  of 
supreme  faith  in  God's  blessing  resting  on  all  he 
did.  I  have  seen  him  on  faith  send  $25,000  as  an 
Easter  Offering  to  stricken  India;  on  faith  he  sent 
out  sums  aggregating  many  thousands  of  dollars, 
often  before  he  had  received  a  dollar  by  way  of 
contribution  to  the  particular  cause  he  was  assisting. 
His  faith  was  manifested  in  a  courage  which  per- 
mitted him  to  throw  out  afar  his  golden  line  of  help, 
as  Douglas  flung  out  the  casket  which  contained  the 
heart  of  Bruce  into  the  midst  of  the  foe. 

"A  striking  illustration  of  the  quickness  of  his 
actions  in  such  matters  occurred  in  the  Cuban 
relief  work  among  the  reconcentrados.  In  conjunc- 
tion with  other  members  of  the  committee  appointed 
by  President  McKinley,  he  had  made  many  ship- 
ments of  food  and  clothing  by  the  regular  ship  lines, 
but  somehow  things  did  not  go  to  his  liking  down 
in  Havana.  The  centers  of  suffering  were  not  being 
reached.  One  morning  he  left  New  York  and  four 
days  later  he  was  in  Cuba's  capital.  It  was  as  he 
had  feared.  The  relief  goods  were  piling  up  hi 
warehouses,  and  the  distribution  was  woefully  slow 
and  ineffective.  Dr.  Klopsch  took  a  carriage  and 
did  some  record  driving  in  Havana  that  day.  He 
visited  scores  of  Spanish  officials,  and  his  earnest 
masterful  way  and  the  simple  appeal  he  made  for 
the  reconcentrados  in  the  name  of  humanity  carried 
the  day.  The  Spanish  officials  were  won  over,  and 
within  twenty-four  hours  after  his  arrival,  railroad 


336  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

trains  were  speeding  from  Havana  in  the  direction 
of  the  suffering  districts  in  the  outlying  provinces. 

"Another  illustration  was  during  the  India  famine. 
He  went  out  there,  and  against  the  protests  of  the 
missionaries,  he  personally  visited  several  of  the 
fever  camps.  There  was  food  and  medicine,  yet 
the  people  were  dying.  He  saw  them  lying  weak  and 
emaciated  on  the  bare  soil.  At  one  of  the  missions, 
he  got  into  telegraphic  communication  with  a  blanket 
manufactory,  and  several  of  the  camps  were  sur- 
prised the  next  day  to  find  a  large  consignment  of 
native  blankets,  which  were  of  great  benefit  and  com- 
fort to  the  sick.  He  had  ordered  thirty  thousand  blan- 
kets at  a  breakdown  price,  and  said  he  could  have 
readily  used  as  many  more,  but  could  not  get  them. 
That  quick  decision  made  life  easier  for  thousands  of 
sufferers,  and  no  doubt  helped  many  to  recover. 

"These  are  evidences  of  the  broad  sympathy  and 
the  grasp  of  an  organizing  mind  in  relief  and  rescue 
work.  But  there  were  other  traits  which  showed  his 
extraordinary  qualities  of  mind  in  their  application 
to  his  own  business  affairs  and  the  great  evangelical 
newspaper  which  he  built  up.  His  active  brain 
could  not  rest.  He  used  to  say  that  much  of  his 
planning  was  done  at  home  and  in  the  five-minute 
walk  to  and  from  his  apartments  to  his  office.  But 
in  everything  he  was  systematic. 

"Dr.  Klopsch  had  a  mind,  which,  if  his  bent  had 
taken  a  little  different  turn,  might  have  led  him  to 
become  a  mathematician  of  no  mean  distinction. 
He  thought  in  figures.  A  source  of  continued 
amazement  to  his  acquaintances  was  the  rapidity 


DR.  GEO.  H.  SANDISON,  EDITOR  OF  THE  CHRISTIAN  HERALD 

For  Twenty  Years  Associate  of  Dr.  Klopsch 


THE  MAN  AND  HIS  METHODS  337 

with  which  he  could  mentally  compute  the  cost  of 
material  and  production,  the  cost  of  advertising 
and  other  details  of  a  great  publishing  business. 
No  matter  how  intricate  the  business  problem,  he 
was  equal  to  it  almost  without  resort  to  paper  and 
pencil.  It  was  his  invariable  custom  to  carry  a 
little  memorandum  book  in  the  upper  pocket  of  his 
vest,  which  was  to  him  an  epitome  of  his  entire 
business.  By  reference  to  it,  he  could  instantly 
compare  the  conditions  of  one  year,  one  week,  one 
day,  with  that  of  the  preceding  year  at  the  same 
season.  He  was  a  man  of  many  problems,  yet  their 
number  did  not  trouble  him.  At  a  single  sitting  he 
would  sometimes  discuss  half  a  dozen  different  ques- 
tions and  reach  a  satisfactory  conclusion  in  each 
case.  He  had  an  intuition  which  led  him  to  do  the 
right  thing  at  the  right  moment. 

"His  was  an  electric  personality.  It  permeated 
and  stimulated  all  his  surroundings.  His  good  nature 
was  infinite,  and  he  could  enjoy  a  joke  in  the  midst 
of  the  most  pressing  affairs.  He  himself  radiated 
cheerfulness.  His  comment  was  sometimes  humor- 
ous, always  incisive  and  always  kindly,  but  it  never 
missed  the  point." 

An  hour  in  Dr.  Klopsch's  inner  office  at  The  Chris- 
tian Herald  was  a  revelation  to  those  who  had  not 
previously  known  his  extraordinary  capacity.  A 
mass  of  correspondence  would  be  before  him,  some 
relating  to  technical  matters  of  the  publishing  busi- 
ness, some  to  its  purely  financial  aspect,  and  much 
more  to  various  philanthropic  and  charitable  works. 
He  would  dictate  letter  after  letter  in  answer,  com- 


338  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

menting  between  times  on  other  subjects.  Then 
there  would  be  the  telephone  calls,  sometimes  long- 
distance and  sometimes  from  within  New  York 
City.  These  he  always  managed,  as  he  would  say, 
with  his  ear  to  the  telephone,  and  his  eye  to  the  big 
table  on  which  was  spread  out  his  business. 

A  stream  of  visitors  would  be  waiting  in  the  outer 
office.  Almost  any  day  there  would  be  a  mission- 
ary from  some  distant  land,  or  a  foreign  philanthro- 
pist who  wanted  to  learn  practical  lessons  from  this 
great  master  of  practical  philanthropy.  Frequently 
there  would  be  a  high  Washington  official,  or  a  for- 
eign diplomat  'sandwiched  in  between  some  of  the 
Bowery  Mission  workers,  or  the  caretakers  from 
Mont-Lawn.  Almost  certainly  there  would  be  a 
country  pastor  from  some  poor  struggling  church 
which  wanted  a  little  help,  that  would  be  given  along 
with  very  sound  advice.  Sometimes  there  would  be 
a  distinguished  army  officer,  such  as  General  O.  O. 
Howard,  or  a  naval  commander,  such  as  Admiral 
Sigsbee.  The  door  would  open  to  admit  one  or  two 
visitors,  and  a  cheery  call  would  come  from  Dr. 
Klopsch  to  the  others  begging  them  to  wait  just  a 
moment  longer. 

No  one  was  too  lowly  to  be  given  the  privilege  of 
a  hearing.  Once  Dr.  Klopsch  asked  me  to  excuse 
him  from  talking  until  he  had  spoken  to  a  man 
whose  presence  I  had  not  noticed  on  entering  the 
office.  The  man  had  a  haunted  look  which  told 
his  story.  I  knew  in  an  instant  that  he  was  an 
ex-convict.  He  whispered  his  fears  to  Dr.  Klopsch, 
who  spoke  out  strongly  and  clearly: 


THE  MAN  AND  HIS  METHODS  339 

"Nonsense,  man,  you  have  nothing  to  be  afraid 
of.  The  police  are  not  following  you.  If  you  think 
they  are,  walk  right  up  to  them  and  tell  them  who 
you  are.  They  want  you  to  get  work  and  to  lead 
an  honest  life,  just  as  much  as  I  do.  Now,  your 
room  rent  in  Hoboken  is  paid  for  a  month.  Your 
breakfast  is  provided,  and  here's  something  for 
dinner  to-day.  But  don't  be  afraid  to  go  out  again 
and  ask  work.  I  told  you  nobody  is  going  to  molest 
you.  I  believe  in  you  and  others  believe  in  you." 

The  man  straightened  up  at  once  and  left  the 
office  with  a  firm  step,  his  fears  dispelled.  How 
many  times  the  same  thing  happened,  others  who 
were  oftener  in  the  private  office  can  perhaps  tell, 
but  I  knew  that  this  was  not  a  single  instance. 

In  his  relations  with  his  associates  and  employees, 
no  man  could  be  more  kindly  or  considerate  than 
Dr.  Klopsch.  Any  negligence  on  their  part  pained 
him,  and  when  he  spoke  of  it,  it  was  always  with 
regret.  Actual  wrong  doing  distressed  him  almost 
beyond  expression.  Once  a  girl  employee  had  been 
brought  to  him  under  some  accusation.  It  was  a 
serious  case.  The  proof  lay  in  his  hands.  A  great 
wave  of  sorrow  for  the  girl  rose  within  him.  He 
attempted  to  speak  to  her  reproachfully,  and  even 
with  severity,  but  the  effort  failed.  His  eyes  and 
throat  seemed  to  fill  simultaneously,  and  he  passed 
over  the  task  to  a  subordinate,  saying  huskily, 
"You  deal  with  her;  I  can't;  but  remember,  don't  do 
anything  that  will  hurt  her  rather  than  help,"  and 
this  was  his  invariable  attitude  towards  those  who 
offended  against  the  law  or  morals.  He  believed 


340  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

that  the  best  course  was  to  help  reform  the  offender 
by  kindness,  rather  than  utterly  to  condemn  and 
send  the  guilty  one  beyond  all  hope  of  reformation. 

The  impression  made  by  Dr.  Klopsch  on  his 
visitor  who  saw  him  for  the  first  time  was  always 
a  deep  one.  Writing  of  a  visit  to  him,  William 
Durban,  in  an  article  in  the  British  Workman,  gave 
his  impressions  as  follows: 

"There  are  a  few  persons  whom  I  never  fail  to 
call  upon  whenever  I  find  myself  in  the  United  States. 
These  are  amongst  the  most  prominent  American 
friends  of  humanity,  and  one  of  the  most  conspicuous 
is  Dr.  Louis  Klopsch,  noted  for  his  world-wide  travels, 
his  indefatigable  philanthropy,  his  great  success  as 
a  journalist,  and  his  generosity  to  the  slum  children 
of  the  vast  tenement  regions  of  New  York.  Dr. 
Klopsch  is  an  extraordinary  personality.  He  is  full 
of  vivacity,  is  all  day  long  occupied  at  his  office 
in  receiving  and  answering  telephone  messages 
from  all  parts  of  his  country,  with  telegrams  and 
letters  from  every  land  on  earth,  yet  he  is  ever 
cordially  willing  to  talk  with  a  visitor  from  England 
over  the  great  and  useful  schemes  dear  to  his  heart, 
because  they  contribute  to  the  uplifting  of  those 
who  need  help  anywhere  in  the  world." 

After  describing  an  interview  with  Dr.  Klopsch, 
in  which  some  of  the  relief  work  was  enumerated, 
Mr.  Durban  continued: 

"I  certainly  felt  that  this  was  a  wonderful  enumera- 
tion of  good  works  attempted  and  achieved  by  a 
single  agency  brought  to  bear  on  the  kindhearted- 
ness  of  the  people  of  America,  but  I  well  knew  that 


THE  MAN  AND  HIS  METHODS  841 

there  was  one  particular  direction  in  which  the 
humanitarian  enthusiasm  of  Dr.  Klopsch  had  always 
been  applied  with  extreme  delight.  Asking  him 
what  was  his  favorite  work,  I  received  the  reply 
which  I  looked  for: 

"*I  take  much  pleasure  in  working  amongst  poor 
children.  I  have  for  many  years  been  a  constant 
Sunday  School  teacher,  so  that  I  have  not  neglected 
the  good  ordinary  means  of  reaching  young  minds 
of  different  classes.  But  after  all,  what  is  always 
supremely  needed  is  effort  for  the  poor  little  neglected 
boys  and  girls  who  swarm  in  the  congested  blocks, 
the  terrible  tenement  quarters  into  which  every  year 
fresh  multitudes  of  poor  immigrants  rush  from  the 
old  world  to  our  American  shores.' ' 

A  description  of  the  work  at  Mont-Lawn  then 
followed. 

A  Hindu  journalist,  Mr.  Saint  Nihl  Singh,  in  an 
account  of  Dr.  Klopsch  as  an  almoner  of  nations 
in  distress,  gave  a  very  vivid  picture  of  his  work. 
Wrote  this  journalist  from  far-off  India  in  most 
perfect  English: 

"If  you  have  millions  at  your  command,  and  you 
are  so  inclined,  you  can  easily  be  a  philanthropist. 
But  if  you  are  lacking  millions,  and  yet  your  heart 
is  burning  with  a  desire  to  relieve  distress,  to  uplift 
the  depressed,  how  would  you  go  to  work  and  raise 
the  funds  to  accomplish  your  great  humanitarian 
tasks  that  call  for  stupendous  amounts  of  money? 

"  You  may  be  interested  in  the  story  of  a  man  — 
Louis  Klopsch,  of  New  York,  United  States  of 
America,  who  was  reared  in  poverty,  who  battled 


342  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

hard  with  adverse  circumstances  in  his  struggle  to 
get  on  in  life,  but  who  withal  has  done  such  mar- 
velous feats  of  philanthropy  as  to  more  than  earn 
the  soubriquet  of  an  almoner  of  nations  in  distress. 
Even  to-day  he  is  not  a  wealthy  man,  as  wealthy 
men  go  in  America,  but  he  has  been  instrumental 
in  distributing  upwards  of  $3,000,000  in  sixteen 
years  to  relieve  acute  want  in  various  parts  of  the 
world.  This  amount  has  been  made  up  of  the  little 
sums  contributed  by  you  and  me,  and  the  man  has 
shown  an  extraordinary  genius  in  first  inspiring 
the  people  to  loosen  their  purse-strings,  and  then 
making  the  most  of  their  offerings.  Herein  lies 
the  specific  value  of  Mr.  Klopsch's  example  to  the 
would-be  philanthropist  who  has  the  ambition  to 
help  others,  but  not  the  millions  wherewith  to  trans- 
late his  desire  into  action. 

"The  career  of  Mr.  Klopsch  is  inspiring  inasmuch 
as  it  shows  how  a  poor  boy  with  little  schooling, 
and  without  external  help,  has  overcome  all  diffi- 
culties. The  average  self-made  man  when  he  reaches 
the  pinnacle  of  his  ambition,  grows  glum  and  self- 
satisfied.  In  his  materialism  he  usually  forgets  his 
attitude  to  his  less  fortunate  fellow-beings.  Not 
so  with  Mr.  Klopsch.  He  looks  upon  prosperity 
merely  as  a  means  calculated  to  place  him  in  a 
position  to  better  serve  mankind.  While  he  is  a 
hard-sensed  business  man,  intensely  practical,  and 
extremely  shrewd,  his  heart  is  full  of  love  and  con- 
cern for  suffering  humanity.  Out  of  his  hard-earned 
money,  he  gives  freely  to  the  cause  of  bettering  the 
condition  of  the  luckless  people  who  have  not  been 


THE  MAN  AND  HIS  METHODS  843 

given  a  fair  show  in  life.  Better  still,  he  devotes 
the  better  portion  of  his  time  and  vitality  to  per- 
suading others  to  unite  with  him  in  his  noble  efforts. 
Being  a  practical  man  of  business,  he  sees  to  it  that 
he  neither  gives  'not  wisely  but  too  well,'  nor  that 
red  tape  in  charity  shall  distress  the  already  dis- 
tressed. He  is  accomplishing  a  great  work,  and  while 
honored  by  kings  and  presidents,  remains  as  unas- 
suming as  when  he  served  as  an  office  boy." 

Dr.  Klopsch,  though  he  did  not  often  appear  on 
the  platform,  was  a  very  ready  speaker.  His  talks 
were  straightforward  and  went  directly  to  the  point. 
He  was  at  his  best  in  addressing  children.  It  was 
this  probably  which  caused  him  to  take  so  deep  an 
interest  all  his  life  in  Sunday  School  work.  While 
still  a  young  man,  he  engaged  in  church  labor  and 
this  continued  throughout  his  life.  It  has  been 
mentioned  that  he  conducted  the  Brooklyn  Taber- 
nacle Sunday  School  work  for  a  number  of  years, 
during  Dr.  Talmage's  pastorate.  He  was  Sunday 
School  superintendent  of  the  Bedford  Street  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  church  in  New  York  City,  and  for 
several  years  he  conducted  the  largest  Sunday  School 
in  America  at  the  great  Ocean  Grove  Methodist 
Episcopal  Camp  Meeting  with  remarkable  success. 

His  father-in-law,  the  Rev.  Stephen  Merritt,  in 
some  reminiscences  of  Dr.  Klopsch,  gives  this  story 
of  the  Sunday  School  activities: 

"He  took  hold  of  the  Sunday  School  and  soon 
made  it  the  sweetest,  strongest  and  best  Sunday 
School  in  the  land.  His  love  for  children  was 
phenomenal.  Perhaps  there  wasn't  a  flower  that 


344  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

grew  in  the  Fifth  Ward,  where  the  Sunday  School 
was  located;  and  there  was  not  a  sick  child  in  the 
ward  but  every  day  it  had  flowers  sent  to  its  home 
to  cheer  its  heart.  He  knew  all  the  families  and 
was  acquainted  with  all  the  children,  irrespective  of 
denomination,  and  he  was  an  angel  among  them. 
We  bought  a  wagonette,  and  every  Saturday  he 
took  a  party  of  children  to  Central  Park  with  their 
teachers,  where  he  supplied  all  their  needs,  and  in 
the  afternoon  was  one  among  them.  He  loved  child- 
hood, and  childhood  more  than  worshipped  him. 
Wherever  the  children  met  him,  in  the  streets,  or 
at  their  homes,  or  in  the  Sunday  School,  they  climbed 
upon  him,  and  hung  on  his  neck,  and  loved  and 
cried  with  joy.  He  had  the  heart  of  a  boy  and  main- 
tained it  till  his  death." 


CHAPTER   XIX 

A   FAITHFUL   STEWARDSHIP 

THE  SECRET  OP  A  SUCCESSFUL  LIFE  —  REVIEW  OF  THE  MANY  GOOD  CAUSES  AIDED 
BY  DR.  KLOPSCH NUMEROUS  FIELDS  OF  CHRISTIAN  HELPFULNESS  SUMMAR- 
IZED   WIDE  FIELD  OF  PHILANTHROPIC  AND  CHARITABLE  LABORS HOME 

AND   FOREIGN  MISSIONS  —  MISCELLANEOUS  RELIEF  MOVEMENTS  —  HOW  THE 

FUNDS  WERE  COLLECTED  AND   DISBURSED ACCOUNTANTS*   CERTIFICATES 

WONDERFUL  FINANCIAL  SHOWING. 

WHAT  was  the  secret  of  Dr.  Klopsch's 
remarkable  success  in  his  own  peculiar 
field?  Early  in  his  career,  he  came  in 
contact  with  a  few  men  who  held  to  the  great  prin- 
ciple that  all  wealth  is  a  stewardship,  and  that  a 
business  which  has  not  God  in  it  cannot  bring 
enduring  success  or  satisfaction.  He  saw  that  men 
"sowed  beside  all  waters";  that  they  honored  their 
Maker  with  their  increase;  and  that  in  a  quiet  and 
unostentatious  way  they  did  what  good  they  could 
to  their  fellowmen. 

Louis  Klopsch  did  nothing  by  halves  [writes  one 
of  his  long  time  editorial  associates].  He  believed, 
with  all  the  strength  of  his  forceful  nature,  that  the 
Lord  prospers  every  really  good  work  that  is  under- 
taken for  His  sake,  and  with  no  purpose  of  personal 
gain.  And  so,  staking  everything  upon  the  issue  — 
his  time,  his  talent,  and  his  means  —  he  resolved  that, 
throughout  his  whole  life  thereafter,  he  would  "  Trust 
in  God  and  take  courage."  He  simply  took  the  Lord 

345 


346  LIFE-WORK  OP  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

at  His  word  and  went  ahead,  to  the  utmost  extent 
of  his  ability,  with  every  legitimate  enterprise  on 
which  he  entered,  whether  it  was  the  closing  of  a 
contract,  the  purchase  of  a  new  press,  the  publica- 
tion of  a  set  of  books,  the  opening  of  some  great 
relief  work,  the  liquidation  of  a  mission  debt,  the 
financing  of  an  evangelistic  campaign,  or  any  busi- 
ness matter  whatsoever.  To  him,  God  was  partner, 
counselor,  banker.  He  never  left  his  office  at  the 
close  of  business  until,  before  he  stepped  from  his 
room,  he  had  prayed  that  the  efforts  of  the  day 
might  be  blessed  to  God's  glory  and  the  benefit  of 
his  fellowmen. 

And  so,  keeping  in  constant  touch  with  the  Divine 
Source  of  all  power  and  blessing,  he  found  the 
master-key  which  opened  to  him  a  thousand  doors 
leading  to  honorable  service.  He  realized  that  no 
one  can  live  unto  himself;  that  to  take  up  the  cross 
of  the  Master  means  to  live  for  others.  He  found, 
too,  beyond  all  doubting,  that  the  Lord  takes  care 
of  His  own  work  in  His  own  way,  not  always  or  often 
according  to  our  expectation;  and  he  learned  patience 
in  waiting  for  the  wondrous  unfolding  of  God's 
plans.  He  saw  how  "all  things  work  together  for 
good  to  them  that  love  the  Lord,"  and  he  marveled 
at  the  Divine  wisdom  in  the  direction  of  the  great 
missionary  and  benevolent  enterprises  he  was  led  to 
undertake.  Ways  opened  up  where  there  seemed 
to  be  nothing  but  unsurmountable  difficulties ;  power- 
ful friends  came  to  his  aid  uninvited;  famous  mis- 
sionaries, whose  names  the  whole  Christian  world 
reverenced,  formed  themselves  into  Committees  to 


A  FAITHFUL  STEWARDSHIP  347 

carry  forward  his  projects ;  three  successive  American 
Presidents  publicly  approved  his  work;  governments 
and  rulers  of  mighty  nations  were  his  voluntary 
allies.  And  God's  people  in  our  own  land  and  else- 
where —  though  few  of  them  had  ever  seen  him  — 
gave  him  their  loving  confidence,  loaded  him  with 
their  offerings,  and  made  him  their  modern  "  Knight 
of  Mercy"  to  the  world's  poor.  And  while  he  won- 
dered at  it  all,  he  prayed  the  more  and  worked  the 
harder,  and  took  courage! 

Such  was  the  secret  of  Dr.  Klopsch's  success.  He 
literally  lived  for  others.  At  whatsoever  task  he  set 
his  hand,  he  worked  with  all  his  might,  leaving 
results  wholly  to  Him  who  alone  gives  the  harvest. 
"If  I  do  my  share,"  he  would  often  remark,  "I  never 
trouble  about  the  rest.  That  is  God's  affair,  not 
mine." 

The  vast  scope  of  Dr.  Klopsch's  philanthropic 
and  charitable  activities  and  his  evangelical  creed  has 
been  shown  in  the  account  given  of  some  of  the  more 
notable  ones  in  the  preceding  chapters.  These,  how- 
ever, do  not  convey  a  complete  idea  of  the  extent 
of  his  humanitarian  work.  Perhaps  a  better  way  to 
exhibit  the  numerous  fields  in  which  his  talents  were 
exerted  for  the  benefit  of  his  fellowmen  is  to  recapit- 
ulate them. 

How  faithfully  the  stewardship  was  carried  out 
and  how  the  funds  collected  were  applied,  may  also 
be  shown  by  the  detailed  financial  statements  as 
made  up  and  certified  by  the  accountants  who  from 
time  to  time  audited  the  accounts.  It  is  a  story  of 
the  successful  financing  of  some  of  the  greatest  relief 


348  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

movements   of  the  present  age  as  well  as  of  the 
support  extended  to  smaller  ones. 

The  history  of  the  various  good  causes  aided  is  set 
forth  in  the  following  succinct  summary,  which  is 
presented  in  alphabetical  form: 

ADANA  RELIEF  WORK.  This  fund  was  raised  in  response  to  an 
appeal  from  the  American  missionaries  after  the  frightful 
massacre  of  Armenians  and  Mesopotamians  by  fanatical 
Moslem  tribesmen.  Rev.  Mr.  Trowbridge  and  a  committee 
of  missionaries  conducted  the  relief  at  several  centers,  and 
were  assisted  by  representatives  of  the  French,  English,  Ger- 
man, and  American  governments.  Thousands  were  succored. 
Tents,  hospitals,  and  food  supplies  were  provided. 

AFRICAN  CHILD  REDEMPTION  FUND.  This  is  a  fund  through 
which  missionaries  are  enabled  to  secure  the  consent  of 
heathen  parents  and  guardians  to  their  children  being  trained 
under  mission  auspices.  Hundreds  of  African  children  have 
been  educated  and  trained,  and  many  are  now  working  as 
missionaries  among  their  own  people. 

AMERICAN  BIBLE  SOCIETY.  This  fund  extended  over  several 
years  and  was  for  the  purpose  of  providing  Bible  distribution 
at  remote  missionary  points  in  different  countries. 

AMERICAN  TRACT  SOCIETY.  This  fund  also  extended  over 
several  years  and  was  applied  in  Gospel  work  in  the  United 
States  and  territories. 

ANY  GOOD  CAUSE  FUND.  This  is  a  general  fund,  supplied  by 
readers  of  The  Christian  Herald  for  giving  immediate  assist- 
ance and  relief  in  urgent  cases  of  need,  not  in  New  York 
alone,  but  throughout  the  country.  It  is  almost  exclu- 
sively confined  to  cases  of  physical  suffering  from  sickness, 
hunger,  or  homelessness.  There  have  been  thousands  of 
beneficiaries  during  the  last  fifteen  years. 

ARMENIAN  RELIEF  FUND.  This  was  raised  by  The  Christian 
Herald  immediately  after  the  great  massacres  of  1896. 
Thousands  of  lives  were  saved  and  great  suffering  averted. 
The  Fund  also  aided  many  Armenian  exiles  who  arrived 
destitute  in  this  country. 

BEALS,  REV.  Z.  CHARLES,  head  of  the  Christian  Mission  at 
Wuhu,  China,  on  the  Yang-tse  River  —  a  very  busy  mission- 


A  FAITHFUL  STEWARDSHIP  349 

ary  section  amid  a  vast  heathen  population.  Mr.  Beals  has 
a  number  of  workers  under  him,  and  his  mission  field  is  a 
large  one.  Dr.  Klopsch  secured  many  friends  for  the  support 
of  this  work. 

BOWERY  MISSION.  This  is  the  oldest  spiritual  mission  for  men 
in  the  United  States.  Through  Dr.  Klopsch's  efforts,  it 
was  saved  from  dissolution  some  eighteen  years  ago.  He 
raised  friends  for  it  in  many  states,  and  to  their  gifts  he 
added  many  of  his  own.  During  the  last  year  of  his  life, 
he  practically  rebuilt  the  mission  house  at  227  Bowery. 
Bowery  Mission  converts  are  found  in  every  part  of  the  world, 
and  many  other  spiritual  missions  have  sprung  from  its 
loins. 

BREAD-LINE,  THE,  NEW  YORK.  For  twelve  years,  Dr.  Klopsch 
raised  or  supplied  funds  for  the  support  of  the  "Bread-line," 
which  every  winter  feeds  1,200  to  1,800  men  and  boys  nightly 
in  connection  with  the  Bowery  Mission.  It  still  continues. 

BROWNSVILLE  AND  WILLIAMSBURG  CHRISTIAN  MISSION  TO  THE 
JEWS.  Rev.  Adolf  Cohn,  a  converted  rabbi,  is  the  head  of 
this  mission,  which  is  the  largest  one  of  its  kind  in  the  United 
States  and  doing  a  very  excellent  work. 

CHARITY  SUBSCRIPTIONS  TO  "THE  CHRISTIAN  HERALD."  This 
represents  subscriptions  at  a  reduced  rate,  sent  hi  by  a  num- 
ber of  readers  who  wish  to  supply  the  paper  to  jails,  refor- 
matories, hospitals,  almshouses,  and  similar  institutions. 

CHINA  FAMINE  FUND.  There  were  two  great  famines  in  China, 
one  in  the  ancient  provinces  of  Shensi  and  Shansi,  from 
1901-06,  and  another  in  the  provinces  along  the  Grand 
Canal,  from  1906-08.  Large  contributions  were  raised  by 
Christian  Herald  readers  to  relieve  the  suffering  in  both 
of  these  famines.  The  first  fund  was  controlled  and  dis- 
tributed by  a  missionary  committee  at  Tientsin,  of  which 
Rev.  Arthur  J.  Smith  was  chairman,  and  the  second  by  a 
missionary  and  civic  joint  committee  at  Shanghai.  During 
the  second  famine,  the  United  States  Government  placed 
at  the  service  of  Dr.  Klopsch  two  troop  ships,  the  Buford 
and  the  Logan,  to  convey  the  food  supplies  contributed  by 
Christian  Herald  readers  to  Shanghai. 

CHINA  ORPHAN  FUND.  This  fund  came  into  operation  at  the 
close  of  the  last  great  famine  in  China,  some  years  ago, 
when  thousands  of  orphans  were  thrown  upon  the  charity 
of  the  Christian  missionaries.  Dr.  Klopsch  secured  indi- 


350  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

vidual  support  of  a  large  number  of  his  readers  for  some  two 
thousand  of  these  orphans  for  a  period  of  years,  and  a  number 
of  orphans  are  still  being  maintained. 

"CHRISTIAN  HERALD"  AGED  INVALID'S  CHAIR.  A  small  fund 
raised  for  the  benefit  of  an  octogenarian  Christian  widow. 
An  invalid  wheel-chair  was  procured  and  the  balance  applied 
to  her  support  for  over  a  year,  until  the  fund  was  exhausted. 

CHRISTIAN  HERALD  CHILDREN'S  HOME.  Dr.  Klopsch  founded 
this  home  at  Mont-Lawn,  and  enlisted  the  support  of  patrons 
throughout  the  country,  who  have  contributed  yearly  to 
it  ever  since.  It  is  incorporated.  It  is  situated  at  Mont- 
Lawn,  near  Nyack-on-the-Hudson.  Forty  thousand  children 
of  the  New  York  tenements  have  been  sheltered  there  since 
the  home  first  opened. 

"CHRISTIAN  HERALD"  GOSPEL  HALL.  One  of  our  American 
missionaries  in  India,  in  recognition  of  help  during  the  great 
India  famine,  named  a  mission  hall  after  Dr.  Klopsch's  paper, 
and  a  few  readers  sent  in  small  contributions  in  aid  of  this 
work. 

CREMORNE  MISSION.  For  a  number  of  years,  this  well-known 
New  York  rescue  mission  for  unfortunate  women  has  been 
assisted  by  voluntary  contributions  through  The  Christian 
Herald. 

CUBAN  RELIEF  WORK.  This  was  undertaken  immediately 
before  the  outbreak  of  the  Spanish-American  war,  and 
through  it  many  thousands  of  starving  reconcentrados  were 
relieved. 

DOOR  OF  HOPE.  This  is  the  parent  rescue  mission  founded  by 
Mrs.  Whittemore,  and  it  has  been  the  mother  of  some  sixty 
"Doors  of  Hope"  throughout  the  country.  Dr.  Klopsch's 
readers  have  sent  offerings  for  it  for  many  years. 

FINLAND  RELIEF  WORK.  This  was  carried  on  during  the  wide- 
spread famine  in  1903,  following  three  years  of  drought.  It 
extended  to  Lapland  and  Sweden. 

FIVE  POINTS'  MISSION.  Voluntary  contributions  for  its  sup- 
port have  been  sent  through  The  Christian  Herald  for  a  num- 
ber of  years. 

FOREIGN  MISSIONS.  A  very  large  proportion  of  Dr.  Klopsch's 
readers  were  directly  interested  in  foreign  missionary  work, 
and  many  of  them  are  now  individually  supporting  white 
and  native  missionaries  in  various  fields.  These  contribu- 


A  FAITHFUL  STEWARDSHIP  351 

lions  have  extended  over  nearly  twenty  years  and  represent 
mission  work  in  India,  China,  Africa,  Tibet,  Korea,  Asiatic 
Russia,  Armenia,  Palestine,  Arabia,  Persia,  Turkey,  Labra- 
dor, South  America,  Japan,  and  other  foreign  fields. 

GRENFELL,  DR.  WILFRED.  The  celebrated  author,  explorer,  and 
founder  of  the  Labrador  Mission.  Voluntary  offerings  for 
the  support  of  his  work  have  been  sent  to  The  Christian 
Herald  for  many  years. 

HOME  MISSIONS.  Funds  for  a  number  of  home  missions,  de- 
nominational and  otherwise,  were  voluntarily  contributed 
during  a  period  of  over  more  than  fifteen  years.  This  repre- 
sents missions  among  the  Indians  in  the  West  and  Southwest 
and  along  the  border;  missions  in  Alaska;  missionary  work 
in  the  American  Sunday  School  Union  in  new  sections,  etc. 

INDIA  FAMINE  FUND.  India,  like  China,  has  had  several  fam- 
ines. Between  the  years  1897  and  1901,  a  large  relief  fund 
was  raised  through  Dr.  Klopsch's  efforts  for  these  famines, 
the  distribution  of  which  was  under  the  control  of  an 
interdenominational  missionary  committee,  representing  all 
the  mission  centers  of  India,  Bishop  J.  M.  Thoburn  being 
chairman.  Many  thousands  of  lives  were  saved  by  this  excel- 
lent work.  Dr.  Klopsch  visited  India  during  the  latter  part 
of  the  famine  and  personally  inspected  the  relief  measures 
adopted  by  the  missionaries  and  their  helpers.  To  a  large 
extent,  the  missionary  work  in  the  early  part  of  the  famine 
was  done  in  cooperation  with  the  Viceroy's  committee. 
At  over  sixty  relief  centers  Christian  Herald  food  supplies, 
blankets,  etc.,  were  given  to  the  sufferers  at  regular  periods. 
This  was  the  greatest  of  all  the  foreign  charities  in  which 
Dr.  Klopsch  engaged. 

INDIA  ORPHAN  WORK.  This  represents  a  branch  of  the  largest 
single  charitable  operation  ever  undertaken  by  The  Christian 
Herald.  During  the  two  great  India  famines,  Dr.  Klopsch 
appealed  for  funds  for  the  sufferers  and  sent  all  offerings  to 
an  interdenominational  missionary  committee,  with  head- 
quarters at  Calcutta  and  Bombay.  When  the  famine  ceased 
there  were  tens  of  thousands  of  orphans  to  care  for.  He 
raised  money  for  over  five  thousand  of  these  helpless  orphans 
from  individual  patrons  in  the  United  States,  and  continued 
this  support  for  several  years.  This  orphan  fund  has  now 
only  a  few  hundred  proteges,  and  will  shortly  complete  its 
work. 


352  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

INVALID  CHILDREN'S  HOMES.  This  represents  voluntary  contri- 
butions to  homes  for  cripples,  deaf-mutes,  and  other  invalids 
in  several  states,  and  covers  a  period  of  many  years. 

ITALIAN  EARTHQUAKE  FUND,  raised  during  the  earthquake  dis- 
aster in  that  country  several  years  ago,  and  distributed 
partly  through  the  American  Red  Cross,  but  more  largely 
under  the  personal  supervision  of  Queen  Helena,  who  organ- 
ized a  "Mothers'  and  Babies'  Fund"  which  was  exclusively 
supported  by  The  Christian  Herald  during  an  entire  summer. 

JANSSEN,  REV.  F.  W.  Mr.  Janssen  is  an  American  missionary 
at  Cebu,  Philippine  Islands,  with  a  very  large  parish,  which 
includes  over  one  hundred  islands.  The  readers  of  The 
Christian  Herald  supplied  him  with  a  mission  boat  for  his 
work,  and  with  pecuniary  help  at  various  times,  during  the 
last  seven  or  eight  years. 

JAPAN  FAMINE  FUND.  This  fund  was  raised  by  The  Christian 
Herald  for  the  relief  of  the  population  of  the  northern  prov- 
inces of  Japan  in  1906,  where  famine  had  followed  successive 
crop  failures.  The  work  was  conducted  in  conjunction  with 
the  American  missionaries,  and  with  the  Japanese  Red  Cross. 

JAPAN  ORPHAN  FUND.  This  work  was  undertaken  after  the 
Japanese  famine  work  had  closed,  and  is  comparatively 
small.  These  orphans  of  the  Japanese  famine  are  housed 
in  two  large  orphanages  at  Okayama  and  Sendai,  and  are 
managed  by  regular  committees. 

JERRY  McAuLEY  MISSION.  Dr.  Klopsch's  readers  have  been 
interested  for  many  years  in  the  old  Water  Street  Mission 
and  have  sent  voluntary  contributions  for  its  support  for 
years,  through  his  paper. 

LEPER  COLONY.  This  colony  is  located  at  Surinam,  Dutch 
Guiana,  South  America,  where  it  was  founded  several  years 
ago  by  the  Rev.  Henry  Weiss.  Dr.  Klopsch's  readers  took 
a  great  deal  of  interest  in  it  and  helped  it  for  a  number  of 
years. 

LEPERS  AT  JERUSALEM.  The  Jerusalem  Leper  Mission  is  one 
of  the  best  charities  in  the  Holy  City  and  contributions  sent 
through  The  Christian  Herald  have  been  entrusted  to  the 
various  American  Consuls  at  Jerusalem,  who  have  seen  that 
they  were  properly  applied. 

MARDIN  RELIEF  WORK.  Mardin  is  in  Mesopotamia,  and 
although  a  considerable  distance  from  Adana,  where  the 
chief  massacres  took  place  several  years  ago,  it  also  suffered, 


A  FAITHFUL  STEWARDSHIP  853 

and  contributions  were  distributed  through  an  official  mis- 
sionary committee  at  Beirut. 

MAYESVILLE  INDUSTRIAL  INSTITUTE.  The  foundation  of  this 
work  was  largely  due  to  the  help  extended  by  Christian 
Herald  readers.  It  is  a  training  school  for  poor  negro  boys 
and  girls,  and  has  been  in  operation  for  nearly  ten  years 
past.  It  has  been  called  the  "second  Tuskegee." 

MEXICAN  FLOOD  SUFFERERS.  This  fund  was  raised  by  popular 
voluntary  subscription  through  The  Christian  Herald,  for  the 
sufferers  in  Monterey  province,  Mexico,  and  was  distributed 
by  U.  S.  Consul  Gen.  Hanna,  with  the  assistance  of  Ameri- 
can missionaries  and  native  officials.  It  did  excellent  work. 

MINE  DISASTER.  This  represents  contributions  sent  in  by 
Dr.  Klopsch's  readers  immediately  after  the  Cherry ville 
Mine  explosion. 

MISSIONARY  SUBSTITUTES.  Over  one  hundred  native  mis- 
sionary evangelists,  Bible  women,  local  pastors,  etc.,  are 
supported  direct  by  individual  patrons  in  the  United  States, 
such  patrons  being  readers  of  The  Christian  Herald.  Their 
contributions  for  such  support  are  sent  quarterly,  without 
diminution.  All  these  substitute  missionaries  are  under 
the  authority  of  white  missionaries. 

MOJAVE  INDIANS.  This  represents  voluntary  contributions  in 
aid  of  Gospel  propagation  among  these  Indians  in  New 
Mexico. 

ORPHAN  BABIES'  HOME.  This  represents  voluntary  contribu- 
tions for  child  orphans  in  St.  Johnland,  N.  Y.,  an  unde- 
nominational work  of  long  standing. 

PARIS  FLOOD  SUFFERERS.  These  contributions  were  sent  in 
during  the  floods  in  Paris,  some  time  ago.  The  amount  is 
small,  but  larger  effort  was  not  needed. 

PERKINS,  REV.  AND  MRS.  JOHN.  These  are  missionaries  in 
Liberia,  West  Africa,  who  are  doing  a  very  fine  missionary 
work  among  the  native  heathen,  on  undenominational  lines. 

PRISON  GATE  MISSION.  This  mission,  started  several  years 
ago,  has  received  occasional  support  from  Dr.  Klopsch's 
readers  ever  since  its  inception.  The  money  was  applied 
by  the  prison  chaplain,  working  under  a  committee,  in 
behalf  of  discharged  convicts  who  needed  help  in  obtaining 
work,  etc. 

PUNDITA  RAMABAI,  the  famous  native  India  missionary  woman, 
whose  spiritual  and  industrial  work  at  Poona  has  attracted 
wide-spread  attention.  Dr.  Klopsch  met  her  while  in  India, 


354  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

and  commended  her  work  to  his  readers,  who  have  helped 
her  for  several  years  past. 

RELIEF  WORK  AMONG  THE  POOR  IN  NEW  YORK  CITY.  These 
operations  covered  a  period  of  many  years,  and  included 
assistance  rendered  to  hundreds  of  families,  widows,  the  sick, 
the  afflicted,  and  the  homeless  —  people  who  were  outside 
of  the  usual  channels  of  organized  help. 

RICHARDS,  REV.  E.  H.  M.  E.  missionary,  of  Inhambane,  East 
Africa.  Mr.  Richards  for  the  last  twelve  years  has  con- 
ducted a  fine  mission  work  among  the  natives  of  Zambesia, 
and  his  efforts  have  enlisted  the  support  of  a  number  of 
Christian  Herald  readers. 

SCHMITT,  REV.  CHRISTIAN,  a  devoted  missionary  of  Nain,  Lab- 
rador, one  of  the  most  northerly  mission  points  on  the  globe. 
His  excellent  work  has  interested  Dr.  Klopsch's  readers  for 
several  years  past. 

SHILOH  ORPHANAGE  OF  AUGUSTA,  GA.  On  a  special  appeal 
for  this  worthy  work  a  few  contributions  were  sent  in  during 
two  or  three  successive  seasons. 

SOCIETY  OF  SOUL  WINNERS.  This  is  an  active  mountain  mis- 
sionary organization,  established  by  Rev.  E.  O.  Guerrant 
of  Wilmore,  Ky.,  among  the  hills  and  valleys  of  the  Cumber- 
lands.  He  has  some  eighty  workers  in  that  neglected  region, 
who  have  been  helped  during  ten  years  by  the  readers  of 
The  Christian  Herald. 

SPANISH  GOSPEL  FUND.  Dr.  Klopsch  printed  and  circulated 
many  hundred  thousands  of  Gospels  in  the  Spanish  language. 
He  began  this  work  during  the  Spanish- American  War,  dis- 
tributing Gospels  in  the  American  camps  and  afterwards 
among  the  Cubans,  when  the  war  was  ended. 

STEELE  ORPHANAGE.  This  work  was  established  twelve  or  four- 
teen years  ago  by  Mrs.  Almira  S.  Steele,  at  Chattanooga, 
among  the  poor  colored  waifs,  and  is  a  very  successful  and 
excellent  one.  Dr.  Klopsch's  readers  have  helped  it  through 
all  these  years. 

SUNSHINE  HOME  FOR  BLIND  BABIES.  This  very  beautiful  work 
was  established  by  Mrs.  Cynthia  Westover  Alden,  in  con- 
nection with  the  International  Sunshine  Society,  and  has 
been  very  popular  among  The  Christian  Herald  readers  for 
the  last  eight  or  ten  years,  who  have  given  something  towards 
its  support  every  year. 

VOLUNTEERS  OF  AMERICA,  Maude  Ballington  Booth's  organi- 
zation. This  prison  and  charity  work  being  commended 


A  FAITHFUL  SfEWAKDfflIP  S;  5 

to  The  Ckrutia*  Herald  readers,  some  of  them 
it  annually. 

for  the  idief  of  the  farmers  of  Colorado,  Dakota, 
and  Nebraska,  daring  the  terrible  drought  of  IMS. 
loads  of  supplies 
personally  visited  several  states, 

••i    A.tn— .  ***  *  TE  —  g— £  ^T-»^™^™r— — i—^    ~£  ^«L^^L  *LA 

wim.  me  viowrnmem  j&enei  vXMmnnBBon,  OK  wmcn  me 
Mr. 
WHITE  DOOB  M; 


York,  of  which  Mis.  Margaret  Sangster  is  a 


Dr.  Klopsch  took  a 

to  which  he  not  only  ff  ^ttMHitrd,  out 

give  then*  support.    These  im  nuie:  Toe 

Englewood,  X.  J.;  Jndson  Memorial  Chinch,  New  York;  Ten- 

"  *B*  i  ii i   •  1  "C^^M  Tn.  •!  •  --     - 


Mission.  Toronto,  Can.;  National  Bible  Institute.  N.  Y.;  Sek 

Bibles    r"j_ni.    t-ir-r"^"3."Tr.   Lrr-.it:    ri:n:    '-ririTi    -'^.1551:1-. 

Bii2^:  .Wn!  pSifesnlifc;  &e^-;  ltmBn?OBwm  I^mvn; 
CQmgkna)  Work  among  Ca 


Society;   Kessab  Schools   (Syria);  Taylor   University,    Men- 
nooite  Mwaon,  Turkey;  Hope  Farm  Protectory;  Tmrnia  Uni- 

^CO&rljr  9  UCftD.  An6Cav  €uj]}|T|aj¥^yi  $   yjonfia**   .\i_TS-.    t»tru  S   1*1  T^^J j i M^y 

tree  for  the  East  Side,  New  York;  Poor  Children's  Home  Find- 

DH£  »3OClC4y »  JMOOQQT  -DMliC    •^BrTliBl^*  .^JVBCKDaUl.  CJm^llmnVBS*  ^^y, 

temporary  help  extended  to 


or  fire  had 

>:"'.'.  A"  CJ^>rS 

SLTJMARY   OF   DR.   KLOPSCH^S   PRINCIPAL 

CHARITIES: 
}':--.'  Work 


1900-1910    American  Khfe  Society 
1900-1910    American  Tract  Society 


856 


LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 


Years  Work  Expended 
1906-1910  Rev.  Z.  Chas.  Beals,  Missionary,China  $287.36 
1907-1910  Brownsville  and  Williamsburg  Chris- 
tian Mission  to  the  Jews   58.37 

1902-1910    Charity  Subscriptions    120.75 

1902-1910     China  Orphan  Fund    42,449.23 

1909-1910    Aged  Invalid's  Fund 103.29 

1909-1910  Christian  Herald  Gospel  Hall,  India  . .  16.00 

1900-1910     Cremorne  Mission,  New  York 259.04 

1896-1910    Door  of  Hope,  New  York    803.07 

1901-1910    Five  Points'  Mission,  New  York   254.20 

1896-1910    Foreign  Missions,  General    14,975.33 

1903-1910  Dr.  W.  Grenfell,  Labrador  Mission.  .  420.02 

1897-1910    Home  Missions,  General 470.06 

1897-1910     India  Orphan  General  Fund   557,786.92 

1903-1910    Invalid  Children's  Home   905.82 

1908-1909    Italian  Earthquake  Fund 71,799.98 

1909-1910    Japan  Orphan  Fund    4,168.12 

1902-1910  Leper  Colony,  Surinam,  D.  W.  I.    ...  1,027.26 

1902-1910    Leper  Colony,  Jerusalem    86.25 

1909  Rev.  Dr.  John  MacDougall 10.00 

1906-1909  Mayesville  Institute  (Colored),  S.  C.  .  4,953.78 

1897-1910    Jerry  McAuley's  Mission   1,229.00 

1909-1910     Mexican  Flood  Sufferers     8.350.60 

1909-1910     Mine  Disaster  (Cherryville) 43.85 

1910  Mojave  Indians 1.00 

1907-1910    Okayama  Orphanage,  Japan    2,542.29 

1909-1910  Orphan  Babies' Home,  Verbank,  N.  Y.  12.10 

1910              Paris  Flood  Sufferers   14.50 

1909  Rev.   and  Mrs.   John  Perkins,   Mis- 
sionaries, Liberia,  W.  A 266.95 

1903-1910  Prison  Gate  Mission  874.52 

1901-1910  Pundita  Ramabai,  India  Mission  Work  2,648.99 

1904-1910  Relief  Work  among  the  Poor,  New 

York  City  1,149.50 

1907-1910  Rev.  C.  Schmitt,  Missionary,  Nain, 

Labrador 197.00 

1901-1910  Society  of  Soul  Winners,  Wilmore,  Ky.  665.60 

1899-1910  Spanish  Gospel  Fund  for  Cuban  Camps  973.40 

1901-1910  Steele  Orphanage,  Chattanooga,  Tenn.  1,079.54 

1905-1910  Sunshine  Home  for  Blind  Babies  ....  2,103.17 

1903-1909  Volunteers  of  America 207.25 

1901-1910  White  Door,  New  York  2,421.61 

1895  Western  Famine  Fund  26,825.40 

1904-1910  African  Child  Redemption  Fund  (M. 

E.  Missions) 3,990.23 


ERNST  &  ERNST 

CERTIFIED    PUBLIC   ACCOUNTANTS    (OHIO) 

IMPARTIAL  AUDITS-SYSTEMS 
NEW  YORK  CHICAGO  CLEVELAND 

NEW  YORK 

September  30th,  1910, 

Christian  Herald, 
New  York  City. 

Qentlemen:- 

Pursuant  to  the  request  of  Mrs.  Mary  M.  Klopsch, 
Executrix  of  the  Estate  of  Louis- Klopsch,  deceased,  formerly 
proprietor  and  editor  of  the  CHRISTIAN  HERALD,  we  have  made 
an  examination  of  the  CHARITY  FUNDS  collected  and  disbursed 
by  the  CHRISTIAN  HERALD  from  the  inception  of  the  various 
accounts  down  to  February  28th,  1910, and  submit  herewith 
our  report. 

The  total  liability  to  the  various  Charities  on 
February  28th,  1910,  as  shown  by  the  books,  amounted  to 
$110,883.31,  and  is  represented  by  bank  balances  verified 
by  us.  It  is  made  up  as  follows:   Sinking  Fund  for  China 
Orphans,  guaranteeing  support  for  seven  years,  $78,528.01; 
Endowment  Fund  for  Children's  Home,  $25,638.58;  Sinking 
Fund,  guaranteeing  support  for  Indian  Orphans,  $1,241.85; 
Sinking  Fund  for  Missionary  Substitutes,  Japanese  Orphans 
and  sundry  other  Charities,  $5,474.87.  We  submit  herewith 
itemized  exhibit,  pages  5  and  6. 

We  found  that  eight  funds  had  been  overpaid  by 
the  CHRISTIAN  HERALD,  making  a  total  overdraft  of  $6,775.79 
as  evidenced  by  itemized  exhibit  page  7. 

We  have  prepared  and  submit  herewith  itemized 
exhibits  showing  the  yearly  Receipts  and  Disbursements  on 
all  the  Funds  appearing  open  on  February  28th,  1910.  We 
also  examined  a  few  of  the  large  accounts,  which  had  been 
closed  prior  to  that  date,  as  evidenced  by  exhibits  pages 
93  to  104. 

We  tested  the  accounts  by  checking  all  the 
contributions  as  published  in  the  regular  issues  of  the 
paper  for  certain  periods,  with  the  cash  receipts  and  other 
records  of  the  CHRISTIAN  HERALD.  We  found  that  the 
disbursements  were  supported  Jt^y  properly  endorsed  checks 
and  invoices. 

WE  HEREBY  CERTIFY  that  we  have  examined  the 
CHARITY  FUND  Accounts  of  the  CHRISTIAN  HERALD  as  above 
outlined,  and  it  is  our  opinion  that  all  the  contributions 
received  have  been  properly  disbursed  as  shown  by  the 
annexed  exhibits. 


r tif i ed  Publ ic  Accountants. 


A  FAITHFUL  STEWARDSHIP 


357 


Years  Work  Expended 

1896-1910  "Any  Good  Cause"  Fund $14,641.97 

1907-1910  Rev.  F.  W.  Janssen,  Missionary, 

Cebu,  P.  1 5,502.08 

1908-1910  Mardin  Relief  Work,  Mesopotamia  .  1,773.53 
1907-1910  "Missionary  Substitutes"  in  various 

lands 6,369.40 

1901-1909  Rev.  E.  H.  Richards,  Missionary, 

Zambesia,  E.  A 591.57 

1910  Shiloh  Orphanage  (N.  C.)  25.00 

1901-1905  China  Famine  Fund  128,280.68 

1906-1907  China  Famine  Fund  427,323.91 

1897-1904  India  Famine  Fund 732,187.59 

1892-1904  Salvation  Army 1,220.13 

1908-1909  Bishop  Scott  (for  redemption  of  Jasper 

Grant's  Children,  W.  A.)  408.89 

1905-1906  Taylor  University,  Indiana  427.00 

1906  Japan  Famine  Fund    241,822.80 

1907  Bitlis  Earthquake,  Armenia 429.62 

1906-1907     Boer  Home  Industries,  South  Africa  657.60 

1906-1907     Mrs.  E.  Pregensen 361.00 

1903              Northland  (Finland)  Famine  Fund..  132,681.27 

1903              Macedonia  Relief  Fund 29,474.78 

1900              Galveston  Relief  Fund    2,035.81 

1906              San  Francisco  Earthquake  Fund    . . .  5,000.00 

1892-1893     Russian  Famine  Relief  Fund    32,000.00 

1896-1898    Armenia  Massacre  Relief  Fund 63,867.98 

1898-1899     Relief  Work  among  the  Cuban  recon- 

centrados 140,587.96 

1894-1910  Christian  Herald  Children's  Home  (14 

years  and  plant)  242,466.46 

1896-1910  Bowery  Mission,  New  York  (17  years 

and  plant)  364,687.75 

1892-1910  2  Miscellaneous  Home  Charities  (18 

years) 20,000.00 

$3,365,648.14 

1  In  the  Russian  Relief  Work,  Dr.  Klopsch  chartered  the  Steamship  Leo  and 
loaded  her  with  flour,  medicines,  and  delicacies  for  the  sick.     In  the  India 
Famine  he  sent  two  steamers,  the  Quito  and  the  Everett,  to  Bombay  and  Cal- 
cutta, with  cargoes  of  foodstuffs.     To  China  he  sent  food  cargoes  on  the 
troop-ships  Logan  and  Buford,  the  United  States  Government  granting  free 
transportation.     To  Cuba  he  sent  partial  cargoes  of  food  and  clothing  on  the 
Ward  and  Mallory  lines. 

2  Includes  Mine  Disasters,  Floods,  Missions,  Rescue  Homes,  Orphan  Homes 
(White  and  Black),  Prison  Missions,  Mountain  Missions,  Evangelism,  Gospel 
Dissemination,  Asylums,  Hospitals,  Invalid  Homes,  Blind  Babies,  Bible  Socie- 
ties, Port  Missions,  etc. 


CHAPTER    XX 

ILLNESS  AND   DEATH 

BRIEF  BIOGRAPHICAL  ANNALS  OP  A  BUST  LIFE  —  HAPPY  MARRIAGE  —  IDEAL 

HOME  CIRCLE THE  FATAL  MALADY THE  WORLD  SHOCKED  BY  THE  NEWS 

OF  DR.  KLOPSCH'S  DEATH  —  PRESIDENT  TAFT'S  SORROW  —  CONDOLENCES 
FROM  FOREIGN  GOVERNMENTS SPONTANEOUS  TRIBUTES PASTOR  WILKIN- 
SON'S EULOGY  TO  NEW  YORK  BUSINESS  MEN FUNERAL  SERVICES  AT  THE 

METROPOLITAN  TEMPLE ALL  CLASSES  AMONG  THE  MOURNERS REV.  J. 

WESLEY    HILL'S   INVOCATION DR.    HALLIMOND's   PRAYER REV.    J.    M. 

BUCKLEY'S  EULOGY  —  LESSONS  OF  A  NOBLE  MANHOOD  —  BEAUTIFUL  MASONIC 
SERVICE BURIAL  AT  TARHYTOWN. 

THE   busy  life  of  Dr.  Klopsch  was  lived  in  the 
city  where  all  his  good  works  were  done  under 
the  fullest  publicity,  yet  those  who  believed 
in  him  and  followed  his  leadership  should  know  some- 
thing more  of  him.     The  biographical  annals  are  so 
simple  that  they  may  be  briefly  told. 

He  was  born  in  Lubben,  near  Berlin,  Germany, 
March  26,  1852.  His  father,  Osmar  Klopsch,  a 
physician  by  profession  and  an  ardent  believer  in 
republican  institutions,  had  belonged  to  the  revolu- 
tionary party  of  1848.  This  meant  prosecution  at 
the  hands  of  the  Government  of  that  period,  and  Dr. 
Osmar  Klopsch  decided,  as  so  many  of  his  revolu- 
tionary compatriots  had  done,  to  seek  the  United 
States.  He  came  to  New  York  in  1854,  bringing  the 
two-year-old  boy.  The  mother  had  in  the  mean- 
time died  of  a  pulmonary  affection.  The  father's 
circumstances  were  not  prosperous,  and  at  an  early 

358 


ILLNESS  AND  DEATH  859 

age  Louis  Klopsch  became  self-supporting.  He 
attended  the  public  schools  for  a  "while,  and  then, 
before  his  course  could  be  completed,  was  obliged 
to  leave  and  take  up  his  struggle  with  the  world. 
His  boyhood  was  passed  in  the  heart  of  the  city  with 
which  his  whole  life  was  identified.  The  story  of 
his  early  activities,  told  in  the  opening  chapter, 
shows  the  dominating  character  of  the  man.  He 
had  a  purpose  from  boyhood  which  he  realized. 

In  1886  occurred  the  event  which  sweetened  his 
whole  life.  This  was  his  marriage  to  Mary  Merritt, 
the  daughter  of  the  Rev.  Stephen  Merritt,  to  whose 
philanthropic  labors  young  Klopsch  had  been  drawn 
almost  in  the  beginning  of  his  career.  The  union 
was  a  most  happy  one.  He  found  a  sympathetic 
helpmate  who  shared  his  enthusiasm  and  who  in- 
spired him  in  his  efforts.  Four  children  were  born 
of  this  union,  a  daughter  and  three  sons,  all  of 
whom  survive. 

Dr.  Klopsch's  home  life  was  an  ideal  one.  During 
the  winter  he  lived  in  a  large  apartment  in  the  heart 
of  New  York  City.  Relief  from  the  cares  of  his 
business  and  of  his  many  charitable  enterprises  was 
always  to  be  had  in  the  midst  of  his  family.  Those 
who  had  the  privilege  of  seeing  him  in  the  home 
circle  knew  how  beautiful  was  the  domestic  life. 
There  as  a  husband  and  father  his  existence  was 
ideal.  His  hospitality  was  broad,  knowing  no  creed 
or  condition  of  life,  and  one  of  his  greatest  enjoy- 
ments was  to  have  a  few  guests  gathered  around 
his  table.  An  evening  at  the  Klopsch  home  was 
one  never  forgotten  by  those  who  shared  in  it. 


360  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

In  the  summer,  Dr.  Klopsch  usually  lived  at  Tarry  - 
town-on-the-Hudson.  Born  and  bred  a  city  man, 
he  loved  the  country.  Another  reason  for  his  liking 
for  Tarry  town  was  that  it  was  just  across  the  Hudson 
River  from  Mont-Lawn  and  he  could  give  part  of  his 
time  to  the  children  for  whom  his  thoughtful  care 
had  provided  the  Home. 

All  his  life,  Dr.  Klopsch  found  rest  and  recreation 
in  a  change  of  surroundings,  though  hardly  of  occu- 
pation. A  vacation  as  such  he  did  not  know.  His 
trips  to  relieve  suffering  in  foreign  lands,  or  in  his 
own  country,  he  always  called  his  vacations,  but 
they  were  such  only  in  the  sense  that  he  was  free 
from  the  pressing  details  of  daily  work  at  The  Chris- 
tian Herald  office.  Occasionally  he  would  recuperate 
by  a  flying  ocean  trip,  always  accompanied  by  Mrs. 
Klopsch.  He  would  visit  his  friends  and  relatives 
in  Germany,  for  whom  he  entertained  great  affection. 
Notwithstanding  that  he  had  left  his  native  country 
as  a  small  child,  he  was  always  very  fond  of  it. 
Usually  on  these  trips  he  would  spend  a  little  time  in 
England  also.  Then  would  come  the  return  voyage 
and  the  planning  for  new  features  of  The  Christian 
Herald,  or  new  works  of  relief  and  rescue.  The  sea 
trips  were  a  tonic  to  him.  He  loved  the  ocean. 
Sometimes  he  would  say,  when  urged  to  take  a  long 
rest,  that  a  voyage  across  the  Atlantic  and  back 
was  a  year's  rest  to  him.  But  there  came  a  day 
when  the  brave  worker  who  had  never  hesitated  at 
any  task  was  compelled  to  lay  down  the  burden  of 
his  labors.  In  February,  1910,  he  was  taken  ill. 
The  trouble  was  intestinal  and  after  due  examination 


ILLNESS  AND  DEATH  361 

an  immediate  operation  was  decided  to  be  necessary. 
He  was  carefully  removed  to  the  German  Hospital. 
Dr.  Klopsch  had  no  fear  of  death.  He  discussed  the 
prospects  of  the  operation  calmly,  arranged  his  busi- 
ness affairs,  made  his  will,  and  in  the  hour  before  he 
was  placed  under  the  anaesthetic  talked  cheerfully 
and  hopefully  with  Mrs.  Klopsch  and  the  other 
members  of  his  family. 

The  skill  of  the  surgeons  was  unable  to  cope 
with  the  disorder.  Dr.  Klopsch  passed  away  on  the 
morning  of  March  7,  a  few  days  after  the  operation. 

To  the  world  at  large,  who  knew  him  by  reputation, 
and  to  innumerable  friends,  the  news  of  his  death 
came  as  a  shock,  for  there  had  been  no  previous 
intimation  of  his  serious  illness.  At  once  a  wave 
of  sorrow  swept  over  many  lands  that  this  great- 
hearted helper  of  humanity  was  no  more.  Spon- 
taneous tributes  poured  in  from  every  quarter  of 
the  globe,  while  expressions  from  the  pulpit  and  the 
press  showed  how  deeply  the  loss  was  felt. 

President  Taft  wrote  a  letter  of  condolence  to 
Mrs.  Klopsch.  It  voiced  the  sorrow  of  the  American 
nation.  The  President  wrote: 

THE  WHITE  HOUSE, 
WASHINGTON,  March  8,  1910. 
MY  DEAR  MRS.  KLOPSCH  :    I  was  greatly  shocked 
to  note  in  the  newspapers  of  yesterday  that  your 
good  husband  passed  away  under  the  effects  of  the 
operation.     I  have  not  known  him  long,  but  I  have 
known  him  long  enough  to  know  of  the  good  that 
he  has  done,  the  charity  that  he  has  encouraged, 


362  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

and  the  gratitude  that  he  is  entitled  to  from  the 
poor  and  oppressed.     I  sincerely  hope  that  the  mem- 
ory of  all  these  things  will  sustain  you  in  your  grief. 
Very  sincerely  yours, 


Only  a  few  months  previously  the  President  had 
appointed  Dr.  Klopsch  to  be  a  member  of  the  Inter- 
national Relief  Board  of  the  American  Red  Cross. 

The  Viceroy  of  India  cabled  direct  from  Calcutta 
to  President  Taft: 

Please  accept  on  behalf  of  Indian  Empire  and  convey  to  his 
family,  sincere  condolences  on  behalf  of  Louis  Klopsch,  whose 
munificent  contributions  for  relief  of  distress  during  two  severe 
famines  can  never  be  forgotten  by  the  Government  and  people 
of  India. 

The  President,  replying  through  Secretary  Knox, 
acknowledged  with  sincere  appreciation  the  Viceroy's 
sympathetic  telegram  and  stated  that  the  message 
had  been  conveyed  to  the  family. 

Baron  Uchida,  the  Japanese  Ambassador  in  Wash- 
ington, telegraphed  to  Mrs.  Klopsch  his  grief  at  her 
loss. 

Miss  Mabel  Boardman,  of  the  American  Red 
Cross,  telegraphed:  "His  death  is  a  loss  to  hu- 
manity. " 

The  Rev.  J.  Wilbur  Chapman,  the  evangelist, 
wrote:  "The  world  has  lost  a  great  man  and  suf- 
fering humanity  a  good  friend." 


ILLNESS  AND  DEATH  363 

The  Rev.  Charles  M.  Sheldon  wrote  from  Topeka : 
"The  loss  is  extended  throughout  a  large  circle.  He 
is  a  man  who  will  be  missed  here  on  earth  by  very 
many  personal  friends,  of  whom  I  count  myself  one." 

Baron  Ozawa,  the  head  of  the  Japanese  Red  Cross 
Society,  cabled  from  Tokio  his  deepest  sorrow  and 
his  sympathy  for  Mrs.  Klopsch. 

William  R.  Moody,  head  of  the  Northfield  Moody 
Schools,  telegraphed  to  Mrs.  Klopsch:  "May  the 
God  of  all  comfort  be  your  solace  in  this  dark 
hour." 

American  Consul-General  Hanna  at  Monterey, 
Mexico,  placed  the  flag  over  the  Consulate  at  half- 
mast  in  honor  of  the  man  who  had  done  so  much 
for  the  flood  sufferers.  He  also  telegraphed  his 
sympathy. 

Tributes  were  paid  spontaneously  at  many  church 
services  and  public  gatherings,  where  men  and 
women  were  gathered  together  for  worship.  On 
March  7,  at  1  o'clock,  just  twelve  hours  after  Dr. 
Klopsch  had  passed  away,  a  large  audience  of  busi- 
ness men  assembled  in  the  open  air  at  Wall  and 
Nassau  Streets,  New  York,  and  listened  with  deep 
attention  to  an  address  by  the  Rev.  William  Wilkin- 
son of  Trinity  Church  (who  has  become  known  as 
"the  Bishop  of  Wall  Street")  who  had  been  preaching 
there  daily  during  the  Lenten  season.  It  was  such 
an  audience  as  could  be  gathered  together  nowhere 
else  in  America.  Bankers,  brokers,  clerks,  merchants, 
importers,  and  men  of  all  sorts  and  callings  were  in 
the  assemblage.  Pastor  Wilkinson  among  other 
things  said: 


364  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

"I  turn  aside  from  my  usual  line  of  subjects  to 
pay  my  tribute  of  love  and  honor  to  a  princely  man, 
who  in  this  city  has  left  his  work  on  earth  to  take 
it  up  where  Jesus  Christ  his  Saviour  and  Master 
has  appointed.  Turn  to  Proverbs  10: 28,  29  —  'The 
hope  of  the  righteous  shall  be  gladness:  the  way  of 
the  Lord  is  strength  to  the  upright.'  There  you 
have  the  deepest  secret  of  the  life  of  Dr.  Klopsch. 
Born  in  Germany  fifty-eight  years  ago,  he  had  ever 
since  coming  to  this  land  absorbed  its  very  best 
spirit.  He  had  a  clear  mind  which  saw  at  a  glance 
the  abiding  from  the  accidental,  the  vital  from  the 
incidental.  He  was  always  swift  to  act,  and  these 
qualities  of  vision  and  action  made  him  a  very 
powerful  helper  in  good  work.  He  saw  the  Living 
God  back  of  nature;  he  knew  the  world  was  run 
by  law,  not  chance;  that  sin  was  death;  that  pardon 
was  a  joy  complete,  and  that  grace  was  sufficient 
for  every  man.  This  gave  a  breadth  to  his  thinking, 
a  plan  and  purpose  to  his  life  and  his  work  which 
charmed  kings. 

"Dr.  Klopsch  was  at  J:he  head  of  The  Christian 
Herald,  which  has  the  largest  circulation  of  any 
religious  paper  in  the  world.  It  is  read  in  every 
town  and  city  in  the  United  States.  Its  editor  was 
every  day  looking,  with  wide-open  eyes,  for  means 
of  making  larger  its  power  for  good.  He  was  always 
anxious  to  find  young  men  of  striking  ability  and 
usefulness  in  the  Church  and  the  world.  Such  men 
he  brought  to  the  attention  of  his  readers.  This  in 
the  catholic  spirit  that  marked  the  man  throughout, 
and  hence  The  Christian  Herald  is  a  mighty  power 
for  good. 

"This  man  had  the  courage  of  his  convictions. 
He  did  not  stand  fawning  on  men  of  power,  who 
sought  to  enslave  the  people;  he  did  not  use  words 
to  darken  wisdom  and  halt  reform.  For  a  sober 


ILLNESS  AND  DEATH  865 

nation  he  stood;  for  proper  housing  of  the  workers 
he  pleaded;  and  his  voice  was  mighty  against  short 
weight  and  measure,  and  the  adulterating  and  cor- 
nering of  the  food  of  the  people.  He  spake  with 
clarion  tones,  in  words  which  rang  like  the  notes  of 
a  trumpet  calling  armies  to  battle.  It  is  refreshing 
and  inspiring  to  meet  a  man  of  this  class  and  prac- 
tice. No  prouder  plume  can  be  placed  on  his  tomb 
than  this.  It  is  the  prime,  it  is  the  first  and  highest 
duty  of  Christian  men  in  power  to  work  for  condi- 
tions where  every  one  can  educate  his  powers  and 
have  a  fair,  open,  just  opportunity  of  living  in  good 
conditions.  No  help  is  like  ability,  by  the  grace  of 
God,  to  help  one's  self  and  family.  There  will,  how- 
ever, be  times  when  it  is  the  duty  of  editors  and 
preachers  to  turn  aside  from  considering  men  who 
sell  law,  men  who  buy  law,  who  practice  the  abom- 
inable tyranny  which  oppresses,  and  also  that  which 
corrupts  the  people  and  the  Republic!  I  mean  the 
time  when  pestilence,  famine,  earthquake,  great  fire, 
and  flood  demand  attention.  To  read  what  this 
man  did  is  to  see  the  soul  of  the  man.  The  recital 
of  facts  is  more  thrilling  than  romance.  It  takes  the 
soul  at  once  over  a  bridge  of  nineteen  hundred  his- 
toric years,  to  the  synagogue  at  Nazareth,  when 
Jesus  stood  on  that  never  to  be  forgotten  Sabbath 
morning  and,  turning  to  the  sixty-first  chapter  of 
Isaiah,  said:  'The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is  upon  me, 
because  he  hath  anointed  me  to  preach  good  tidings 
to  the  meek;  he  hath  sent  me  to  heal  the  broken- 
hearted, to  proclaim  liberty  to  the  captives;  to  open 
the  prison  to  them  that  are  bound;  to  comfort  all 
that  mourn  that  they  might  be  called  trees  of  right- 
eousness, the  planting  of  the  Lord,  that  he  might  be 
glorified.'  Dr.  Klopsch  raised  through  his  paper  and 
friends  and  gave  to  every  good  work.  He  asked 
others  to  give  also. 


366  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

"In  Wall  Street,  in  its  busiest  part,  at  its  busiest 
hour,  when  men  are  planning  to  make  money,  when 
all  is  rush  and  push  and  desire,  I  stop  to  call  your 
attention  to  this  type  of  man  who  had  time  to  pray, 
to  plan,  to  work,  to  do  good  and  delight  in  it.  This 
brought  him  peace  and  honor  at  the  last." 

At  the  First  Methodist  Church,  the  Rev.  Francis 
Burdette  Short  made  Dr.  Klopsch 's  life-work  the 
theme  of  a  special  address: 

"The  name  of  Louis  Klopsch,"  he  said,  "stands 
for  uprightness,  integrity,  and  philanthropy,  world- 
wide and  world-honored.  He  provided  bread  for 
the  hungry  and  brought  the  dying  back  to  life.  His 
name  is  a  blessing  to  the  multitudes,  and  his  memory 
will  ever  prove  a  delight  to  the  nations  of  the  earth. 

"He  coveted  the  best  gifts.  He  sought  that  more 
excellent  way.  He  struggled  to  bring  his  body  and 
talents  into  these  higher  laws,  the  laws  that  make  for 
uprightness  and  peace  among  men.  The  warm 
heart  that  beat  in  his  bosom  was  made  sensitive 
and  sympathetic  by  the  spirit  of  the  Man  of  Galilee, 
and  he  was  only  happy  when  he  was  pouring  out  his 
life  that  other  lives  might  have  that  more  abundant 
life." 

The  wide-spread  sorrow  for  the  loss  of  a  great 
and  good  man,  and  the  deep  respect  in  which  he  was 
held,  was  made  manifest  at  the  funeral  services. 
They  were  held  on  the  morning  of  Wednesday, 
March  9,  in  the  Metropolitan  Temple,  at  Seventh 
Avenue  and  Fourteenth  Street,  of  which  Dr.  Klopsch 
was  a  valued  member.  All  classes  were  represented 
among  those  who  crowded  the  building,  and  many 


ILLNESS  AND  DEATH  367 

hundreds  gathered  outside  unable  to  gain  entrance, 
where  they  remained  during  the  entire  services. 
Within  the  Temple  one  could  note  the  mingling  of 
the  rich  and  poor,  the  prosperous  business  men  and 
humble  workers;  the  men  of  the  Bowery,  who  had 
learned  to  know  and  love  Dr.  Klopsch  through  his 
Christlike  work  in  the  Bowery  Mission,  and  the  men 
of  large  enterprises,  who  knew  his  ability  and  his 
commanding  worth  in  the  world  of  affairs.  There, 
too,  were  the  children  of  the  tenements,  met  to  take 
a  last  fond  look  at  their  kind  benefactor  and  to  sing 
as  an  appropriate  requiem  those  sweet  songs  he 
had  loved  to  hear  them  sing  at  the  beautiful  Chil- 
dren's Home  which  he  founded  for  them  at  Mont- 
Lawn.  Ministers  of  many  different  denominations, 
who  had  been  co-workers  with  him  in  enterprises  for 
the  spiritual  and  material  uplift  of  humanity,  were 
present.  All  were  drawn  by  a  common  impulse  to 
show  their  respect,  honor,  and  love  for  one  whose 
life  had  been  freely  spent  for  others. 

The  Rev.  J.  Wesley  Hill,  D.D.,  pastor  of  the 
Temple,  led  the  procession  up  the  aisle  to  the  altar, 
reciting  the  service  for  the  dead.  He  was  accom- 
panied by  the  Rev.  Ferdinand  C.  Iglehart,  the  Rev. 
J.  M.  Buckley,  Rev.  Wallace  McMullen,  the  Rev. 
John  Hallimond,  and  several  others.  After  them 
came  the  honorary  pall-bearers,  who  were  Rear- 
Admiral  Charles  D.  Sigsbee,  O.  S.  Marden,  G.  H. 
Sandison,  J.  A.  Belford,  Otto  Koenig,  P.  B.  Brom- 
field,  D.  A.  Nesbit,  J.  McGee,  Dr.  F.  Schavoir,  R. 
D.  Carter,  Charles  Francis,  S.  A.  Everett,  Arthur  J. 
Little,  William  B.  Rowland,  and  J.  J.  Little.  The 


368  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

bearers  of  the  casket  followed,  and  immediately 
behind  it  came  the  members  of  the  family  of  the 
deceased:  Mrs.  Klopsch,  Louis  Klopsch,  Jr.,  Miss 
Mary  Klopsch,  and  Merritt  Klopsch,  all  in  deep 
mourning.  The  immediate  relatives  of  the  family 
brought  up  the  rear.  These  included  the  venerable 
Stephen  Merritt  and  Mrs.  Merritt,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Gilbert  H.  Crawford,  Dr.  Mary  Crawford,  Misses 
Charlotte  and  Caroline  Crawford,  Conrad  Crawford, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Morris  Crawford,  Miss  Sarah  Merritt, 
and  Stephen  Merritt,  Jr.  The  casket  was  deposited 
in  front  of  the  platform,  where  it  was  surrounded  by 
great  fragrant  banks  of  beautiful  flowers,  the  lov- 
ing offerings  of  friends  and  associates.  The  superb 
floral  wreath  sent  from  the  White  House  by  President 
and  Mrs.  Taft  was  laid  upon  the  casket.  Rev.  Dr. 
Hill  opened  the  service  by  invoking  the  divine  pres- 
ence and  gracious  blessing  in  these  words: 

"  O  Thou,  who  art  the  '  shadow  of  a  great  rock  in 
a  weary  land/  we  come  seeking  the  refuge  of  Thy 
love  and  the  shelter  of  Thy  wing.  Thou,  who  hast 
said,  *Lo,  I  am  with  thee  alway,  even  unto  the  end 
of  the  world,'  reveal  Thyself  unto  us  in  the  consola- 
tions of  Thy  grace,  the  comfort  of  Thy  Spirit,  and 
the  inspiration  of  that  hope  *  which  we  have  as  an 
anchor  of  the  soul,  both  sure  and  steadfast,  and 
which  entereth  into  that  within  the  veil,  whither  the 
Forerunner  is  for  us  entered,  even  Jesus  Christ.' 
Amen." 

The  first  musical  selection  was  sung  by  a  quar- 
tette composed  of  Mrs.  Fugle,  soprano;  Mrs.  Anna 
Simpson,  contralto;  Frederick  Boynton,  tenor;  F. 
Servier,  basso,  under  the  direction  of  Mr.  Charles  J. 


ILLNESS  AND  DEATH  369 

Evans,  musical  director  of  the  Temple.  Mrs.  Prue 
Baird  served  as  the  organist.  The  selection  was 
"Abide  With  Me." 

The  Rev.  Dr.  F.  C.  Iglehart  read  Scripture  selec- 
tions from  the  twenty -third  Psalm  and  the  fourteenth 
chapter  of  John's  Gospel.  The  children  of  the  Mont- 
Lawn  Home,  in  the  gallery,  sang  with  surprising  and 
melting  pathos  "The  Glory  Song." 

The  Rev.  Dr.  Hallimond  then  offered  prayer,  as 
follows : 

"O  God,  our  Father,  Thou  hast  seen  fit  to  send 
a  great  sorrow  to  our  hearts.  We  cannot  understand 
it.  We  stagger  under  the  mystery  of  it.  We  ask 
Thee  to  forgive  us  if  we  have  shown  any  hesita- 
tion in  accepting  Thy  will,  if  we  have  manifested 
any  rebellion  of  spirit,  if  any  murmuring  has  momen- 
tarily escaped  us,  forgive  us ;  and  oh,  help  us,  because 
the  task  is  too  hard  for  us  in  our  poor,  frail,  falter- 
ing humanity.  Help  us  to  be  still  and  murmur  not, 
to  breathe  the  prayer  divinely  taught,  'Thy  will  be 
done/  In  Thy  strength,  O  God,  we  accept  the  de- 
cree. If  it  be  Thy  will  that  we  take  the  cup,  even 
so,  O  Father.  But,  O  God,  notwithstanding  the  great 
weight,  the  great  burden  of  sorrow  which  is  resting 
upon  us  this  morning,  we  cannot  keep  our  hearts 
from  rising  in  joy  and  exultation  over  the  achieve- 
ments of  this  wonderful  life  that  has  just  been 
brought  to  a  close.  We  praise  Thee,  O  God,  for  the 
many  and  the  varied  gifts  that  Thou  didst  bestow 
upon  Thy  servant;  for  his  marvelous  business  acu- 
men, for  his  tireless  zeal,  for  his  burning  enthusiasm, 
for  his  patient  industry,  for  the  rare  example  he 
has  afforded  us  of  a  man  who  was  able  to  make 
money,  and  yet  never  thought  of  spending  it  in  the 
pursuit  of  mere  personal  pleasure  or  indulgence. 

"  We  praise  Thee,  O  God,  for  his  wide  and  world- 
embracing  charity.  We  thank  Thee  for  the  virtue  of 


370  LIFE-WORK  OP  LOUIS.  KLOPSCH 

being  able  to  rise  and  take  a  broad  and  comprehen- 
sive view  of  the  world's  need.  We  thank  Thee  for 
his  almost  unparalleled  resourcefulness.  We  thank 
Thee  for  his  indomitable  persistency  of  purpose. 
We  thank  Thee  for  his  steadfastness  in  the  truth. 
We  thank  Thee  for  the  almost  priceless  lesson  that 
he  has  been  teaching  the  Christian  community  of 
this  land  during  the  last  twenty  years.  We  thank 
Thee,  O  God,  for  the  great  charitable  heart  of  his. 
We  thank  Thee  that,  aided  by  Thy  wisdom  and 
through  the  instrumentality  of  an  undenominational 
journal,  Thou  hast  made  it  possible  for  him  to  gather 
together  the  scattered  fragments,  the  units,  and  bind 
them  in  a  great,  united,  happy  family  circle  of 
Christian  believers.  We  thank  Thee  for  the  mighty 
inspiration  his  personality  has  been  to  millions  of 
his  fellow  creatures  in  all  lands,  from  kings  and 
princes  and  presidents  down  to  the  poor,  homeless 
wanderers,  outcasts,  tramps  in  the  Bowery,  and  the 
poor  little,  white-faced  children  in  the  tenements. 

"We  thank  Thee,  O  God,  for  all  that  has  been 
accomplished  in  connection  with  that  wonderful 
commission  which  Thou  didst  place  in  his  hands,  of 
feeding  the  hungry  multitude,  so  great,  so  vast,  no 
other  man  has  ever  attempted  it  since  Christ  Him- 
self fed  the  five  thousand  in  a  desert  place.  We 
thank  Thee,  we  praise  Thee,  that  when,  in  the  mys- 
terious workings  of  Thy  providence,  any  country 
has  been  stricken  with  famine,  or  with  flood,  or  with 
earthquake,  or  pestilence,  that  his  heart  instantly 
throbbed  with  a  Christlike  pity,  and  his  hand  was 
the  first  to  be  outstretched  with  the  needed  help. 
We  thank  Thee,  O  God,  for  all  these  lessons.  We 
thank  Thee  for  his  comprehensive  sympathy.  We 
thank  Thee  for  all  the  spiritual  results  that  have 
come  to  his  life,  for  his  triumphs  in  the  various 
Sabbath  Schools  with  which  he  has  been  connected; 


ILLNESS  AND  DEATH  371 

for  his  noble  and  incessant  care  of  these  thousands 
of  city  children  at  Mont-Lawn  for  so  many  years. 
We  thank  Thee  for  his  readiness  to  give  spiritual 
help  when  it  has  been  needed.  We  thank  Thee  for 
the  thousands  and  tens  of  thousands  that  have  been 
saved  from  the  degradations  of  sin  by  his  instrumen- 
tality. We  thank  Thee  for  the  thousands  of  homes 
that  have  been  gladdened  and  strengthened  by  his 
personality,  reflected  on  the  pages  of  his  paper. 

"O  God,  Thou  knowest  how  thankful  we  are  for 
this  great  life  that  has  just  been  closed.  And  now 
we  pray,  dear  heavenly  Father,  for  those  that  are 
left  behind.  We  pray  earnestly  and  specially  for 
his  widow,  this  sweet  and  gracious  woman,  whose 
life  has  been  swept  by  this  desolating  sorrow.  We 
pray  for  these  dear  boys  and  this  daughter  in  their 
bitter  sorrow,  realizing  as  they  do  that  they  have 
lost  the  best  and  stanchest  friend.  Wearing  the 
chill  of  their  bereavement,  they  cry  out  for  'the 
touch  of  that  vanished  hand  and  the  sound  of  that 
voice  that  is  still.'  O  God,  wilt  Thou  comfort  them. 
Comfort  them,  Father,  with  Thine  own  comfort, 
'as  one  whom  a  mother  comforteth.'  Wilt  Thou 
comfort  this  woman  and  her  fatherless  children. 
We  pray,  as  a  congregation  of  Christian  believers, 
that  Thou  wilt  bless  and  comfort  and  strengthen 
that  devoted  staff  in  The  Christian  Herald  office, 
who  are  grieving  as  no  staff  ever  grieved  before, 
perhaps,  for  an  employer  who  has  gone,  and  who 
was  just  as  much  a  brother  and  a  friend.  O  God, 
bless  them  and  help  them. 

"  Do  Thou  bless  the  thousands  of  little  children  in 
this  great  city  this  morning  who  are  troubled,  and 
who,  in  their  childish  sympathy,  sorrow,  and  wonder- 
ment, are  asking,  as  they  have  been  doing,  'Shall  we 
never  see  his  face  again?'  And  bless  the  thousands 
of  orphans  in  India  and  Japan  and  China  who  don't 


372  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

even  yet  know  of  the  great  loss  that  has  come  to 
them.  Bless  the  poor  men  in  the  bread-line  to- 
night who,  in  addition  to  all  their  misery,  have  this 
thought:  that  they  have  lost  their  best  friend,  their 
benefactor.  And  we  ask  Thee,  O  God,  as  a  congre- 
gation, that  Thou  wilt  grant  that  those  great  chari- 
ties of  his,  and  the  numberless  small  charities  that 
he,  aided  by  Thy  wisdom  and  strengthened  by  Thy 
strength,  was  able  to  inaugurate  and  carry  on  for  so 
many  years  —  we  pray  that  they  may  be  carried  on 
by  other  faithful  souls,  who  are  thus  called  to  take 
his  place.  And  now  we  pray  for  ourselves,  that  we 
may  go  from  this  service  back  to  our  God-given 
spheres  of  labor  with  increased  devotion  for  that 
great  cause  to  which  he  has  given  the  last  full  meas- 
ure of  his  devotion.  We  ask  it  in  the  name  of  our 
Redeemer.  Amen." 

The  quartette  sang  "Lead,  Kindly  Light."  The 
Rev.  Dr.  Wallace  MacMullen  read  the  second 
Scriptural  selection  from  the  fifteenth  chapter  of  I. 
Corinthians. 

The  voices  of  the  children  of  the  Mont-Lawn 
Home  again  rang  out  in  a  beautiful  hymn,  composed 
of  Bible  verses,  a  selection  which  was  a  peculiar 
favorite  of  Dr.  Klopsch. 

The  Rev.  Dr.  James  M.  Buckley,  editor  of  the 
Christian  Advocate,  of  New  York,  was  the  next 
speaker.  He  said: 

"Our  Lord  Jesus  was  the  most  pitiful  of  all  the 
preachers.  He  gave  the  most  comprehensive  of 
all  the  statements.  And  above  them  all  he  stood 
ready  to  teach  angels  as  well  as  men.  He  pities  us 
today.  He  knows  that  'the  spirit  is  willing,  but  the 
flesh  is  weak.'  He  knows  that  those  who  suffer  most 
excruciatingly  may  take  his  prayer, '  Let  this  cup  pass 
from  me.'  If  it  may  pass  from  me,  that  would  be 
my  desire;  but  not  my  will,  not  my  will,  Thy  will. 


ILLNESS  AND  DEATH  373 

"  President  McKinley  turned  to  his  invalid  wife  as 
he  was  about  to  die,  and  said,  as  well  as  he  could, 
'Our  ways  are  not  God's  ways,  but  God's  ways  are 
our  ways,  and  we  must  make  them  our  ways.'  There 
were  many  paraphrases  of  that  utterance,  but  that 
is  the  idea,  and  it  stands  from  the  beginning  until 
now  to  all  who  have  faith.  Even  a  little  faith  in 
God  will  go  a  long  distance  toward  steadying  us. 
As  for  *  weeping'  and  'sorrow,'  those  who  say  the 
Christian  ought  not  to  weep  or  sorrow  do  not  under- 
stand the  Bible,  nor  the  human  heart.  Did  Christ 
rebuke  the  sisters?  Did  not  St.  Paul  himself  say 
that  God  sent  his  friend  Epaphroditus,  lest  he,  Paul, 
should  have  sorrow  upon  sorrow?  Did  not  our 
Lord  weep  with  the  sisters? 

"Tears  are  for  the  earth,  and  for  the  Christian 
who  can  say,  *  There  is  my  son,'  calmly  looking  into 
the  dead  face;  for  the  man  who  can  look  upon  his 
wife's  face  calmly,  and  say,  'That  is  God's  will  and 
it  is  my  will,'  there  is  no  death  in  either  heart.  We 
are  made  so  that  we  may  weep  rather  than  dash 
against  the  rocks  or  become  absolutely  devoid  of 
reason. 

"  When  a  poor  man  dies,  his  wife  has  lost  her  all. 
When  a  rich  man  dies,  there  are  many  things  left 
of  temporary  comfort;  but  I  have  never  known  any 
difference  between  the  sorrows  of  the  poor  and  the 
sorrows  of  the  rich,  where  the  heart  is  involved  — 
the  same  miseries,  the  same  trembling,  the  same 
looking  for  a  future,  and  not  ready  for  it.  But  God 
makes  every  promise  that  the  soul  desires.  The 
sacred  Book  is  like  the  contents  of  a  medicine  chest. 
One  must  not  take  anything  out  of  the  medicine 
chest  at  random.  Each  item  fits  the  exact  need  at  a 
certain  time.  And  so,  here  we  go  through  the  Book, 
and  we  find  a  promise  for  every  difficulty. 

"You  will  find  no  definite  promise  to  comfort  a 


374  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

man  who  has  been  bereaved  of  his  wife  in  the  Bible, 
from  one  end  of  it  to  the  other;  but  where  can  you 
search  without  finding  some  great  promise  for  the 
widow?  The  sublimest  figure  in  all  the  Bible  relates 
to  the  sorrows  of  the  woman  who  had  lost  her  hus- 
band; and  the  utterances  *I  am  the  Father  of  the 
fatherless*  and  *I  am  the  God  of  the  widow'  are 
given;  and  God  even  rises  to  this  tremendous  symbol, 
'Thy  Maker  is  thy  husband.' 

"It  is  not  necessary  for  us  to  recount  in  this 
presence  all  that  our  friend  thought,  all  that  he 
intended,  all  that  he  did.  Long  before  we  came  to 
this  last  house,  the  newspapers  of  the  country  had 
told  of  his  achievements.  We  are  here  to  sympathize ; 
we  are  here  to  reflect  upon  the  great  principles  of 
God,  of  immortality,  of  Christ,  and  of  human  life. 
Let  us  get  a  glance  today,  through  faith,  into  the 
fact  that  God  himself  requires  the  whole  universe 
to  carry  out  his  plan.  No  Christian  dies  accidentally. 
If  he  be  thrown  down  before  a  car  and  crushed,  in 
the  thought  of  God  it  is  not  an  accident.  *  Precious 
in  the  sight  of  the  Lord  is  the  death  of  his  saints.' 
All  deaths  could  be  postponed  without  a  miracle. 
God  has  constantly  a  connection  with  our  ideas  — 
the  constant  stream  of  our  ideas.  If  he  saw  best, 
without  a  miracle  he  could  influence  us  in  thought 
not  to  get  under  the  wall  when  it  is  about  to  fall. 
By  a  mere  movement  of  our  faculties  God  might 
cause  us  to  pass  away.  We  must  accept  the  old  re- 
ligion of  the  general  providence  of  God.  Who  knows 
that  this  death  will  not  awaken  thousands  to  the 
consideration  that  they  must  prepare  to  die?  Who 
knows  it?  There  ought  to  be  persons  in  this  house 
today  who  have  seen  here  the  pallid  features,  the 
magazine  of  energy  silent  and  cold.  They  should 
take  it  to  their  hearts  that  they  will  be  as  silent,  as 
cold,  as  helpless,  and  that  the  time  is  unknown. 


ILLNESS  AND  DEATH  375 

"What  caused  this  man  to  do  these  things?  No 
doubt  he  was  pleased  with  public  approbation.  Re- 
member there  is  a  marked  difference  between  self- 
ishness and  self-love.  We  are  not  required  by  the 
Golden  Rule  to  love  our  neighbor  more  than  we 
love  ourselves.  We  are  to  love  our  neighbor  as 
we  love  ourselves.  And  we  received  the  honors  of 
his  wonderful  philanthropic  and  successful  projects, 
and  he  had  plenty  of  Scripture  for  that;  for  at  the 
end  of  all  the  Epistles  there  is  a  list  of  saints  and  of 
the  good  things  they  have  done.  It  is  when  a  man 
works  for  himself  exclusively  that  he  is  thrown  out 
of  heaven.  But  he  loved  God  and  his  neighbor. 
All  these  things  were  a  part  of  his  religion.  Some 
rejoice  in  riches,  some  in  political  honors,  some  in 
scholastic  achievements.  He  preferred  to  get  his 
highest  honor  through  assisting  those  that  were  not 
so  well  off  in  the  world  as  himself. 

"Friends,  there  is  a  manifest  contrast  here.  You 
never  saw  such  a  contrast.  I  never  saw  such  a  con- 
trast. Every  class  and  condition  of  humanity  may 
be  found  here.  This  magnificent  floral  decoration 
on  the  casket  was  sent  here  by  the  President  of  the 
United  States.  Recognizing  the  great  difficulty  of 
genuine  philanthropy,  he  finds  genuine  philanthropy 
in  the  heart  of  this  man.  And  these  two  hundred 
children  —  descended  from  many  nations  —  these 
two  hundred  children  that  have  been  singing  to  us 
here  are  the  children  of  the  poor.  Here  is  fulfilled 
in  this  man's  life  the  proverb  three  thousand  years 
old,  'Seest  thou  a  man  diligent  in  his  business?  he 
shall  not  stand  before  mean  men;  he  shall  stand 
before  kings.'  The  country  comes  up  in  the  act  of 
the  President  and  says,  'Well  done!  Well  done!' 

"It  is  read  at  almost  every  service,  *  Blessed  are 
the  dead  that  die  in  the  Lord;  for  they  shall  rest 
from  their  labors,  and  their  works  do  follow  them.' 


376  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

It  is  beautiful.  *  Their  works  do  follow  them.'  Am  I 
not  right  in  saying  that  such  has  been  the  nature  of 
this  man's  philanthropy  that  the  immense  number 
of  his  works  have  gone  before  him?  It  must  be  so, 
for  they  have  included  life  and  death. 

"And  now,  what  shall  we  say?  Shall  we  say  that 
there  is  a  mistake?  Suppose  that  he  had  lingered, 
as  some  philanthropists  have,  until  they  were  so  old 
and  imbecile  that  they  were  forgotten!  And  here 
speaks  with  great  force  the  value  of  a  life.  He  was 
but  little  poorer,  richer  than  some  of  the  poorest, 
when  he  began.  He  made  a  life.  He  made  a  fortune. 
He  made  a  great  philanthropy  of  a  peculiar  kind. 
It  is  an  honor  to  meet  together  in  his  honor.  I  shall 
miss  him,  but  I  did  not  postpone  until  his  death  to 
commend  him.  After  a  visit  to  his  institution  for 
the  children,  I  described  as  well  as  I  could  what  I 
saw,  what  I  heard,  and,  best  of  all,  what  I  felt.  I 
hope  to  meet  him  where  there  is  no  disappointment, 
no  heart-breaking  surprises.  I  suggest  to  his  chil- 
dren that  the  father  of  Noah,  when  Noah  was  born, 
said,  *  These  shall  comfort  us  concerning  our  work 
and  labor  of  love.' 

"Passing  one  day  a  most  imposing  structure  in 
this  city  devoted  to  religion,  I  turned  in  to  hear  the 
sermon,  and  the  sermon  was  preached  from  this  text 
to  which  I  have  just  referred,  and  the  eloquent 
preacher  said,  'In  order  to  carry  out  the  spirit  of 
the  name,  it  is  wise  for  sons  and  daughters  to  carry 
out,  as  far  as  possible,  the  plans  of  their  parents 
and  thus  show  confidence  in  them  as  respects  their 
judgment  and  their  love  for  them  by  manifesting 
it  in  such  a  manner.'  And  so  I  say  to  these  sons 
and  this  daughter:  Always  have  a  deep  sympathy 
with  your  father's  principles  and  spirit  and  works, 
and  then  each  day  to  the  last  you  will  be  a  comfort 
to  your  mother  and  insure  yourselves  a  final  meeting 
where  no  sepulchral  voice  is  heard* 


ILLNESS  AND  DEATH  377 

"  There  are  minor  chords.  There  are  major  chords. 
These  are  minor  chords,  but  as  we  go  forth  let  us  be 
so  powerfully  wrought  upon  by  the  virtues  of  a  good 
and  successful  life  that  we  may  feel  within  our  souls 
ringing  *  Onward!  Onward,  Christian!" 

As  a  solo  Mrs.  Simpson  sang  "  Crossing  the  Bar." 
Rev.  Dr.  Hill  closed  the  regular  service  by  pronounc- 
ing the  benediction:  "The  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  the  love  of  God,  and  the  comfort  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  be  and  abide  with  you  now  and  evermore. 
Amen." 

Following  the  formal  church  service  came  the 
beautiful  Masonic  rite  for  the  dead  by  members  of 
the  Evangelist  Lodge,  which  was  listened  to  with 
much  feeling.  The  little  group  of  his  fellow-mem- 
bers surrounded  the  casket,  and  as  the  rite  pro- 
ceeded, they  depositing  on  the  casket  their  tiny 
sprays  of  evergreen,  the  token  of  immortality,  a 
thrill  went  through  the  church.  Past  Master  T.  S. 
Roane  officiated.  Later,  when  the  Scottish  rite  was 
performed  by  another  delegation  of  the  Masonic 
Brotherhood,  and  a  single,  perfect  white  rose  was 
laid  upon  the  breast  of  the  dead,  every  one  felt  the 
beautiful  appropriateness  of  the  symbol  of  a  pure 
and  upright  life.  The  late  Dr.  Klopsch  was  a  thirty- 
second  degree  Mason.  Commander-in-Chief  John 
Lloyd  Thomas  pronounced  a  beautiful  eulogy. 

After  this  rite  had  ended,  the  casket  being  still 
open,  the  congregation  was  permitted  to  take  a  last 
look  at  the  face  of  the  departed.  Solemnly  and 
silently  the  long  line  filed  past,  many  lingering  as 
they  gazed  with  streaming  eyes.  Many  wept  as 
they  looked  upon  the  familiar  lineaments,  now  lying 
so  white  and  stately  and  still. 

The  little  tenement  children  followed  the  adults 
in  the  line  and  gazed  wonderingly  and  with  tear- 
dimmed  eyes  upon  the  features  of  their  benefactor. 


378  LIFE-WORK  OP  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

The  pall-bearers,  in  their  turn,  filed  past  the  casket, 
and  last  of  all  came  the  family.  It  was  a  painful 
moment  and  sobs  could  be  heard  throughout  the 
church. 

After  the  closing  of  the  casket,  the  procession 
was  re-formed,  the  pall-bearers  leading.  Slowly  they 
came  down  the  aisle  to  the  mournful  strains  of  the 
"Dead  March."  It  seemed  as  if  the  very  depths  of 
sorrow  and  feeling  had  been  touched.  At  the  door, 
and  far  up  and  down  the  street,  were  the  crowds 
who  had  been  unable  to  obtain  admittance.  The 
casket  was  deposited  in  the  hearse,  and  the  family  and 
immediate  relatives  entered  the  mourning  coaches 
in  waiting,  after  which  the  crowd  slowly  dispersed. 

Among  those  present  at  the  funeral  were  Mrs. 
Sarah  J.  Bird,  "the  Mother  of  the  Bowery  Mission"; 
Rev.  Frank  DeWitt  Talmage,  Rev.  Wilbur  F. 
Crafts  of  Washington,  D.  C.;  Rev.  Daniel  S.  Greg- 
ory, D.D.;  Rev.  William  James,  Rev.  George  San- 
derson, chaplain  of  the  Tombs;  Rev.  Dr.  J.  M. 
Farrar,  Rev.  Dr.  F.  F.  Shannon,  Rev.  Dr.  W.  J. 
Peck,  Rev.  G.  S.  Avery,  Chester  Crest;  Alderman 
Caygill,  of  New  York  City;  Colonel  W.  H.  Cox 
and  Colonel  Margitts,  of  the  Salvation  Army; 
Rev.  J.  M.  Con  way,  Florence  Mission;  Rev.  John 
Callahan,  Hadley  Hall;  Mr.  J.  H.  Wyburn,  Water 
Street  Mission;  Mr.  Don  Shelton,  Mr.  H.  P.  Main, 
Rev.  W.  T.  Twamley,  Rev.  Franklin  S.  Babbitt, 
of  Nyack,  N.  Y.,  and  many  other  clergymen. 

There  was  a  large  delegation  of  editors  and  pub- 
lishers of  the  religious  press  of  the  country,  and 
many  men  prominent  in  various  lines  of  business 
who  had  been  personally  acquainted  with  Dr. 
Klopsch  during  his  busy  lifetime. 

Dr.  Klopsch's  remains  were  conveyed  by  rail  to 
Tarrytown-on-the-Hudson.  Interment  took  place  in 
the  picturesque  cemetery  at  Sleepy  Hollow.  It  was 


ILLNESS  AND  DEATH  379 

one  of  his  last  wishes  that  his  grave  should  be  chosen 
in  a  site  that  would  overlook  the  Hudson  and  com- 
mand a  view  of  his  dearly  loved  Children's  Home, 
and  that  wish  will  now  be  faithfully  carried  out. 
There  he  sleeps,  until  the  last  trumpet  sounds. 


CHAPTER   XXI 


THE   VOICE   THAT   YET   SPEAKS 

TESTIMONY  TO  THE  ENDURING  INFLUENCE  OP  DR.  KLOPSCH's  GOOD  WORKS  —  A 

SOLDIER  OP  HUMANITY MUTUAL  CONFIDENCE  IN  THE  "CHRISTIAN  HERALD " 

FAMILY PUBLIC    MEMORIAL    MEETING RABBI    MICHELSON's    PRAISE  — 

BISHOP  DARLINGTON'S  ADDRESS  —  DR.  MARSDEN'S  ANALYSIS  —  A  WORD  FROM 
IRVING  BACHELLBR  —  DR.  HILL's  TALK  —  JUDGE  TOMPKIN's  VIEW  —  DR. 
IGLEHART'S  STORY  —  EDITORIAL  COMMENT. 

*¥  "\7"  THEN  the  grave  has  closed  over  the  mortal 
remains   of  a  man  whose   life  has  been 


w 


given  to  the  services  of  others,  the  last 
word  has  not  been  said.  The  voice  that  is  silent  yet 
speaks  as  with  a  thousand  tongues  through  the  good 
works  that  go  on.  Dr.  Klopsch  had  labored  for  the 
future  as  well  as  for  the  present.  The  deep  impres- 
sion he  made  on  his  own  generation  rendered  it  cer- 
tain that  his  influence  would  continue  and  endure. 

Tributes  continued  to  be  paid  to  his  memory,  and 
the  insight  into  his  character  as  a  practical  philan- 
thropist which  they  contained  showed  how  abiding 
was  the  work  that  he  had  done. 

"American  philanthropy,"  said  the  Baltimore 
American  in  an  appreciative  editorial,  "will  not  rate 
the  name  of  any  one  deserving  honor  more  highly 
than  Dr.  Klopsch,  whose  sphere  of  distributing 
charities  in  time  of  national  or  local  disaster,  in 
times  of  scourge,  or  famine  and  floods,  made  him  a 
conspicuous  figure  the  world  over.  It  was  not  that 
he  himself  had  such  large  means  that  he  could 

380 


THE  VOICE  THAT  YET  SPEAKS  381 

magnify  his  money  with  his  spirit,  but  it  was  because 
in  many  cases  he  became  the  medium  through  which 
the  offerings  of  multitudes  of  persons,  rich  and  poor, 
were  employed  in  the  most  serviceable  humane 
ways;  yet  he  himself  was  a  large  giver  to  charities 
he  had  founded.  Those  who  rallied  to  the  call  of 
this  charitable  editor  knew  that  their  money  would 
go  directly  to  the  object  for  which  it  was  subscribed. 
He  had  developed  a  genius  as  an  alleviator  of  wide 
distress. 

"It  would  only  be  necessary  to  recount  honors 
bestowed  upon  him  by  foreign  rulers  and  societies 
in  order  to  secure  a  list  of  countries  that  acknowl- 
edged indebtedness  to  his  broad  and  generous  nature. 
He  was  a  man  with  a  sense  of  human  responsibility 
that  dignifies  a  generation." 

Another  journal,  the  Milwaukee  Free  Press,  under 
the  caption  of  "A  Soldier  of  Humanity,"  said: 

"Dr.  Klopsch  was  an  American  citizen  of  German 
birth  whose  eager  interest  in  the  suffering  and 
afflicted  made  him  active  wherever  service  was  to 
be  rendered  to  humanity.  Where  disaster  reigned, 
destitution  prevailed,  and  desperation  brooded,  he 
became  the  foremost  organizer  and  distributor  of 
charitable  relief. 

"Such  a  task  as  this,  accomplished  through  the 
agency  of  any  one  man,  is  a  tremendous  performance, 
and  the  record  of  Dr.  Klopsch  is  one  for  legitimate 
pride,  not  only  as  a  philanthropist,  but  for  the  busi- 
ness judgment  shown  in  organizing  and  financing 
these  wide-spread  relief  movements,  thus  making 
it  possible  for  every  heart  which  had  gone  out  in 


382  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

sympathy  to  the  desolation  and  misery  of  another 
land  to  give  that  emotion  practical  expression  and 
make  it  helpful  in  succoring  those  in  need.  Sym- 
pathy that  so  manifests  itself  is  the  one  touch  of 
nature  that  makes  the  whole  world  kin  and  more 
than  many  Hague  Conferences  leads  men  to  real- 
ize that  He  hath  made  of  one  flesh  all  the  nations 
upon  earth." 

A  journal  devoted  more  particularly  to  men  of 
note  in  business  enterprises,  The  Press  Scrap  Book, 
in  a  sympathetic  summary  of  Dr.  Klopsch's  work, 
gave  this  estimate  of  his  character: 

"His  energy,  ability,  and  determination  to  succeed 
overcame  every  obstacle  and  commanded  the  good- 
will, respect,  and  support  of  all  with  whom  he  came 
in  contact.  His  industry  was  marvelous  and  his 
fidelity  to  business  engagements  helped  him  materi- 
ally to  win  his  way  to  higher  success. 

"One  of  the  beautiful  features  of  his  great  work 
was  the  supreme  harmony,  the  mutual  confidence, 
and  Christian  love  existing  between  Dr.  Klopsch 
and  his  readers.  Representing  an  exceptionally  in- 
telligent, high-minded,  and  sincerely  religious  class 
of  the  community,  the  patrons  of  The  Christian 
Herald  were  in  complete  sympathy  with  Dr.  Klopsch 
in  his  charitable  undertakings,  and  contributed  most 
generously  to  the  causes  indicated  as  worthy  of 
relief.  Dr.  Klopsch  on  his  part  not  only  saw  that 
the  funds  were  faithfully  and  effectively  applied 
to  the  purpose  for  which  they  were  contributed,  but 
also  gave  liberally  of  his  personal  means  to  The 
Christian  Herald  charities. 


THE  VOICE  THAT  YET  SPEAKS  383 

"Dr.  Klopsch  was  in  earnest,  active,  inspiring 
sympathy  with  every  good  cause.  His  advice  and 
fellowship  were  sought  not  merely  for  the  sake  of 
material  aid,  but  because  of  the  impetus  which  he 
gave  to  any  movement  in  which  he  was  interested. 
He  possessed  the  gift  of  personal  magnetism  in  a 
wonderful  degree,  and  attracted  the  devotion  and 
loyalty  of  all  who  were  associated  with  him.  He 
possessed  in  this  and  other  personal  attributes  some 
of  the  characteristics  which  are  peculiar  to  true 
greatness,  to  men  marked  out  as  leaders  and  guides 
to  their  fellows.  No  man  in  ancient  or  modern 
times  has  done  so  much  as  he  to  establish  the  fel- 
lowship of  man,  the  brotherhood  of  our  common 
humanity." 

Mr.  Melville  E.  Stone,  General  Manager  of  the 
Associated  Press,  was  a  personal  friend  of  Dr. 
Klopsch.  He  had  come  into  contact  with  and  had 
personal  knowledge  of  several  of  Dr.  Klopsch's 
charities,  at  home  and  abroad.  Mr.  Stone  was 
specially  struck  with  the  character  and  value  of  the 
work  Dr.  Klopsch  had  done  in  India,  and  on  return- 
ing from  a  tour  in  the  East,  he  wrote  the  following 
letter  recording  his  impressions  of  that  work: 


jJitss. 

OFFICE, 

*   MO»OW»».  «C» 


OCTOBER  4,  1910. 

DEAR   MR.   SANDISON:    While  in  India,  it  was  my   good 
fortune  to  see  something  of  one  phase  of  the  great  work  done 


384  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

by  the  late  Dr.  Klopsch.  I  have  no  hesitation  in  saying  that 
the  peculiar  kind  of  work  that  he  did  in  India  was  the  most 
effective  missionary  work  that  I  observed.  I  think  it  would 
be  admitted  by  all  that  the  efforts  to  convert  Moslems  or 
Hindoo  adults  to  our  point  of  view  have  been  pretty  barren 
of  results;  but  at  the  orphanages  at  Ajmeer  and  Cawnpore  and 
other  places  which  I  visited,  I  found  a  large  company  of  people 
growing  into  young  manhood  and  womanhood  under  conditions 
of  a  most  promising  character. 

When  the  last  great  famine  occurred,  a  vast  number  of 
infant  children  were  orphaned,  and  would  have  died  at  once 
but  for  the  intervention  of  Dr.  Klopsch.  He  provided  a  fund 
which  made  it  possible  to  gather  these  children  together,  feed 
and  clothe  them,  and  give  them  a  Christian  education.  They 
were  removed  from  the  sharp  prejudices  and  superstitions 
which  have  such  a  strong  governing  influence  upon  their  race, 
and  it  cannot  be  but  they  will  be  of  great  value  in  spreading 
the  cause  of  Christian  civilization  throughout  Asia. 

Sincerely  yours, 


A  feeling  tribute  was  paid  by  Myrta  Lockwood 
Avary  of  Georgia,  who  was  on  the  staff  of  The 
Christian  Herald  for  several  years,  and  was  very 
active  in  its  sociological  and  charity  labors,  espe- 
cially the  "Fresh  Air  Work"  for  the  tenement  chil- 
dren. In  memorial  verse  she  wrote: 

At  his  command 

Corn-bearing  ships  to  famine  lands  set  sail 
Our  country's  banners  flying  at  the  mast. 
Through  these  poor  hands  the  bread  of  life  has  passed 
To  starving  millions. 
Now,  where  he  lieth  in  his  cerements, 
The  kindly  thought  of  thousands  weaves  a  pall, 
Fragrant  and  fair  as  were  the  flowers  that  bloomed. 


THE  VOICE  THAT  YET  SPEAKS  385 

And  that  the  children  brought  him  at  his  call 
To  spread  above  him  ere  he  is  entombed, 
And  o'er  his  grave  the  shining  vail  of  death 
Floats  soft  and  luminous. 

Notwithstanding  that  the  funeral  services  of  Dr. 
Klopsch  had  enabled  thousands  to  pay  their  tributes 
of  respect,  and  noted  men  to  give  their  estimate  of 
his  life,  the  desire  to  make  further  testimonial  to  the 
man  and  his  good  works  was  so  universal  that  it  was 
found  necessary  to  arrange  special  memorial  services. 
These  were  held  in  the  large  auditorium  of  the  New 
Masonic  Hall  on  Twenty-fourth  Street,  New  York 
City,  on  the  evening  of  April  14.  Rarely  has  an 
audience  been  in  more  sympathetic  accord  with  the 
great  central  theme  of  the  occasion  which  brought 
them  together.  Almost  all  those  present  had  been 
personal  friends  of  Dr.  Klopsch,  or  had  been  helped 
through  some  personal  acts  of  kindness  or  through 
some  of  his  enormous  philanthropies,  or  had  known 
of  his  great  public  service  at  home  and  abroad,  and 
wished  by  their  presence  to  join  in  honoring  his 
memory. 

On  the  speaker's  platform  were  Mr.  William  R. 
Moody;  Dr.  J.  H.  Darlington,  Episcopal  Bishop  of 
Harrisburg;  Dr.  O.  S.  Marden;  Mr.  Irving  Bacheller; 
Rev.  John  Wesley  Hill;  Judge  Arthur  S.  Tomp- 
kins;  Rev.  Wallace  MacMullen;  Mr.  Edwin  S.  Ives; 
Rev.  James  M.  Farrar;  Rev.  F.  C.  Iglehart;  Rabbi 
Michelson;  Mr.  K.  Yamazaki,  Consul-General  of 
Japan;  Mrs.  Bird,  "Mother  of  the  Bowery  Mission"; 
Rev.  George  Sanderson,  chaplain  of  the  Tombs, 
and  others.  This  was  the  order  of  the  service: 


y 


386  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

OPENING  HYMN Prof.  H.  E.  Browne,  Organist. 

"My  Faith  Looks  Up  to  Thee." 

PRAYER Rev.  Wallace  MacMullen,  D.D. 

SCRIPTURE  READING  Rev.  James  M.  Farrar,  D.D. 

READING  OF  LETTERS Mr.  Edwin  S.  Ives. 

ADDRESS Rabbi  Michelson. 

MEMORIAL  ADDRESS Bishop  J.  H.  Darlington. 

BIBLE  VERSES Sung  by  250  Mont-Lawn  Children. 

Prof.  Noll,  of  Nyack,  at  the  Organ. 

ADDRESS Dr.  O.  S.  Marden. 

(Representing  the  Periodical  Publishers'  Association.) 

SINGING rtThe  Glory  Song,"  by  250  Mont-Lawn  Children. 

ADDRESS Mr.  Irving  Bacheller. 

ADDRESS Rev.  John  Wesley  Hill. 

ADDRESS Judge  Arthur  S.  Tompkins. 

SINGING Bowery  Mission  Men's  Choir. 

"It  Is  Well  With  My  Soul." 

ADDRESS Mr.  K.  Yamazaki  of  Japan. 

ADDRESS Rev.  Dr.  Iglehart. 

DOXOLOGY Prof.  Browne,  Organ. 

BENEDICTION Rev.  Stephen  Merritt. 

Mr.  William  R.  Moody,  of  Northfield,  Mass.,  head 
of  the  Moody  Schools,  presided.  After  the  opening 
hymn,  Bishop  Darlington,  of  Harrisburg,  led  in 
prayer.  The  Bishop  prayed  that  "the  memory  of 
the  good  man  who  has  gone  may  make  us  more 
zealous  in  all  good  works  for  God  and  our  fellow 
men,  giving  us  greater  love  for  Christ,  a  higher  idea 
of  duty,  and  a  firmer  resolve  to  stand  fast  for  the 
righteousness  of  the  saints." 

Rev.  James  M.  Farrar,  D.D.,  of  Brooklyn,  chose 
as  the  Scripture  reading  the  first  Psalm.  Mr.  Edwin 
S.  Ives  read  extracts  from  a  number  of  letters  received 
from  friends  in  different  states,  regretting  their 


THE  VOICE  THAT  YET  SPEAKS  387 

inability  to  be  present.  Governor  Hughes  of  New 
York  sent  word  by  his  secretary  that  "the  Gover- 
nor would  have  been  very  glad  to  attend  the  memo- 
rial service  to  Dr.  Klopsch  were  it  possible  for  him 
to  do  so,  as  he  highly  appreciated  Dr.  Klopsch's 
services  to  humanity."  Among  those  who  sent 
letters  of  regret  were  Mr.  John  C.  Havemeyer,  of 
Yonkers;  Ex-Mayor  Charles  A.  Schieren,  Brooklyn; 
Mr.  John  Brisben  Walker,  Mr.  L.  N.  Doubleday, 
Mrs.  M.  V.  Terhune  ("Marion  Harland"),  Mr. 
John  Lloyd  Thomas,  Commander  Scottish  Rite; 
Mrs.  Margaret  E.  Sangster,  Rev.  C.  H.  Mead,  Rev. 
Bernard  Peck,  and  many  others. 

Rabbi  Michelson,  of  Trenton,  was  the  next  speaker. 
He  said  in  part: 

I  am  a  rabbi.  I  am  in  charge  of  a  large  congregation;  the 
only  rabbi  of  a  Jewish  community  in  Trenton.  I  am  Jewish 
chaplain  of  the  New  Jersey  State  Prison.  When  I  was  a  boy, 
I  wanted  to  read  something  in  English  which  would  arouse  me 
and  keep  me  in  touch  with  the  highest,  the  best,  and  the  truest 
in  the  spiritual  world,  and  I  then  turned  to  The  Christian 
Herald,  and  I  saw  there  and  I  can  feel  now  as  I  felt  when  I 
read  those  bright  and  brilliant  and  arousing  and  soothing  pages, 
in  which  this  man  had  stamped  every  word  and  every  line  and 
every  syllable  with  his  personality.  And  so  I  went  on  studying 
The  Christian  Herald,  and  I  am  reading  it  today.  He  who 
reads  it  and  understands  its  policy,  will  walk  in  the  ways  of 
the  Lord,  I  am  sure. 

I  came  in  touch  with  another  work  of  his  —  the  Bowery 
Mission.  I  think  it  is  possibly  the  greatest  institution  of  its 
kind  in  the  world.  When  Dr.  Klopsch  spoke  there,  you  will 
believe  me  when  I  say,  I  was  stepping  upon  holy  ground.  When 
I  saw  many  men,  weary,  heavy-laden,  and  when  I  heard  the 
Gospel  of  the  New  Testament,  I  said  "blessed,"  and  the  Old 


388  LIFE-WORK  OP  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

Testament,  I  said  "blessed";  and  it  was  Dr.  Klopsch  who 
loved  it  and  worked  for  it.  Our  rabbis  tell  us  that  the  righteous 
of  all  nations  shall  inherit  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  Dr.  Louis 
Klopsch  was  righteous  and  he  was  good,  and,  therefore,  though 
of  a  different  faith,  it  is  my  feeling  that  he  will  inherit  the 
kingdom  of  heaven.  Let  this  be  our  prayer,  that  when  we 
shall  all  meet  our  Father,  we  shall  see  him  side  by  side  there 
as  our  brother  himself. 

Bishop  J.  H.  Darlington,  who  made  the  principal 
address,  spoke  of  Dr.  Klopsch  as  the  "friend  of  the 
whole  world,  raising  millions  of  money  for  those 
hungering  unto  death.  In  any  great  trouble,  such 
as  a  famine  at  the  ends  of  the  earth,  he  would  take 
up  that  want  and  be  glad  to  meet  it.  It  was  seizing 
the  opportunities  lying  around  him  that  made  him  a 
genius.  He  was  a  genius  in  organizing;  not  in  writ- 
ing or  speaking,  but  in  using  the  things  about  him 
which  he  made  into  means  of  vast  good.  He  dis- 
covered Dr.  Farrar  and  his  ability  to  preach  to  the 
children,  that  he  might  bring  them  to  the  feet  of 
the  dear  Master. 

"It  is  only  a  short  time  ago  that  I  was  at  the 
Bowery  Mission,  when  it  was  visited  by  the  President 
of  the  United  States.  As  I  stood  there,  the  boys  in 
their  rough  way  gave  three  cheers  for  'Bill  and  the 
Bish';  and  I  thought  they  were  not  cheering  the 
right  man.  I  little  thought  that  night  that  so  soon 
the  end  would  come  to  Dr.  Klopsch." 

The  singing  of  the  "Bible  Verses"  by  the  children 
of  Mont-Lawn  was  beautifully  rendered,  and  made 
a  deep  impression  on  the  audience. 

Chairman  Moody  then  paid  a  brief,  but  eloquent, 
tribute  to  Dr.  Klopsch,  as  "a  Christian  great  in  his 


THE  VOICE  THAT  YET  SPEAKS  389 

deeds,  who  dared  with  great  daring  deeds  of  magni- 
tude which  many  would  have  shrunk  from.  His 
sympathy  extended  beyond  geographical  barriers, 
and  made  him  a  great  foreign  missionary  in  the  best 
sense;  a  great  home  missionary  in  the  truest  sense, 
and  a  loyal  and  devoted  city  missionary  also." 

Dr.  O.  S.  Harden  was  the  next  speaker.  He  repre- 
sented the  publishing  interests  in  which  Dr.  Klopsch 
was  so  active.  In  the  course  of  his  address,  he  said: 

I  met  Dr.  Klopsch  last  at  a  banquet  in  Washington  given 
by  the  Periodical  Association  of  America,  of  which  he  was  an 
officer.  The  President  of  the  United  States  was  there.  Dr. 
Klopsch  sat  at  my  table  and  seemed  to  enjoy  the  occasion  as 
much  as  any.  He  was  taken  ill  that  very  night.  I  never 
saw  him  alive  again.  He  was  thought  very  highly  of  by  the 
Periodical  Association,  which  represents  something  like  fifty 
different  magazines  and  periodicals. 

Mr.  Klopsch  started  in  New  York  poor,  and  made  his  own 
career,  and  if  all  those  who  have  been  befriended  by  him  should 
wish  to  come  to  this  memorial  service,  the  highway  from  the 
Battery  to  Central  Park  would  be  black  with  the  people  who 
have  been  helped  by  his  marvelous  life.  More  than  that,  there 
are  probably  one  hundred  thousand  people  alive  tonight  who 
would  have  starved  but  for  this  man's  remarkable  ability  and 
organizing  energy,  his  far-seeing  sagacity  and  business  ability. 
He  founded  orphanages  all  over  the  world.  But  right  here  at 
home  was  one  of  the  greatest  of  his  works,  as  represented  by 
the  children  here  tonight.  I  never  saw  a  man  enter  into  child- 
life  so  absolutely  as  did  Dr.  Klopsch.  I  understand  that  over 
forty  thousand  children  from  the  East  Side,  poor,  pale,  many 
ill,  have  been  taken  to  the  Home  upon  the  Hudson  —  Mont- 
Lawn —  and  had  two  or  three  weeks'  vacation.  Think  of  it. 
Over  forty  thousand  children!  And  who  of  us  can  tell  how 
many  of  these  he  has  saved  from  going  wrong  because  he 
befriended  them,  and  how  many  would  have  been  dead  but  for 


390  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

this  man?  If  we  could  ask  Dr.  Klopsch  tonight  what  gave 
him  the  most  satisfaction,  what  do  you  suppose  it  would  be? 
He  would  point  to  these  children,  who  have  been  saved  and 
helped,  and  to  the  men  saved  at  the  Bowery  Mission.  It  is 
only  what  we  give  away  that  we  save.  It  is  only  what  we 
render  to  others  that  survives  death.  We  cannot  carry  a  penny 
across  the  Great  River,  but  we  can  carry  good  deeds;  and  Dr. 
Klopsch  would  say  that  many  of  the  things  we  appreciate  were 
mere  rubbish.  And  he  would  give  us  another  lesson  —  to  do 
our  work  while  we  live.  We  plan  to  do  good  works.  Men 
accumulating  money,  intend  to  do  much  for  some  good  pur- 
pose; but  Dr.  Klopsch  gave  us  a  lesson  in  doing  good  while 
we  live. 

Chairman  Moody  again  introduced  the  children, 
who  sang  most  sweetly  the  "  Glory  Song." 

Rev.  Wallace  MacMullen  offered  a  prayer,  after 
which  Chairman  Moody  introduced  Mr.  Irving 
Bacheller,  who  spoke  briefly.  He  said  in  part: 

"Our  friend,  whom  we  honor  tonight,  preached 
with  bread;  he  argued  with  human  kindness;  he 
prayed  with  wheat  and  corn  and  forgiveness  and 
generosity.  He  baptized  with  soap  and  water.  We 
call  it  the  modern  spirit,  but  it  is  really  very  old.  He 
preached  a  sermon  to  the  hungry  hordes  of  India  — 
one  of  the  greatest  sermons  of  history.  There  were 
a  million  bushels  of  wheat  in  it.  Louis  Klopsch  was 
essentially  a  minister  and  organizer.  His  desk  was 
his  pulpit;  The  Christian  Herald  the  contribution 
plate;  every  son  of  God  was  his  brother.  His  week- 
day was  as  holy  as  his  Sabbath;  his  counting-room 
as  consecrated  as  his  church;  his  note-of-hand  as 
sacred  as  his  Bible;  his  business  as  clean  as  his  reli- 
gion. We  need  more  such  ministers.  At  Brad- 
street's  his  rating  was  perfect,  and  I  fancy  in  the 
archives  of  St.  Peter  it  is  quite  as  good.  If  every  man 


THE  VOICE  THAT  YET  SPEAKS  391 

woman,  and  child  whom  he  had  befriended  in  this 
wide  world  should  lay  a  flower  upon  his  grave,  a 
mountain  of  fragrance  and  beauty  would  arise 
thereon." 

Mr.  Moody  introduced  Rev.  Dr.  John  Wesley  Hill, 
Metropolitan  M.  E.  Church,  New  York,  who  said: 

"Last  week,  in  conversation  with  President  Taft 
in  Washington,  with  reference  to  the  rare  qualities 
and  the  phenomenal  achievements  of  our  departed 
friend,  our  President  declared  that  his  late  visit  to 
the  Bowery  Mission  was  one  of  the  most  inspiring 
and  delightful  events  of  his  life.  Then,  pausing  for 
a  moment,  he  said:  'Tell  me  about  the  Mission. 
Will  it  stand?'  I  said:  'It  truly  will.  It  has  been  so 
organized  and  established  that  it  must  enlarge  and 
increase  and  more  and  more  fulfil  the  vision  which 
its  founder  had  concerning  it.'  Then  the  President 
said:  'I  have  heard  that  Dr.  Klopsch  founded  a 
Children's  Home  somewhere.  Where  is  it?  Tell  me 
about  it.'  I  told  him  about  it;  and  then  he  asked 
what  sort  of  a  memorial  would  be  established  to  the 
memory  of  this  great  and  good  man.  I  told  him  that 
an  effort  had  already  been  projected  by  the  friends 
of  Dr.  Klopsch  to  endow  the  Children's  Home. 
'Well,'  he  said,  as  I  left  him,  'keep  me  advised  as  to 
that  movement,  for  when  the  time  comes,  I  want  to 
send  my  check  as  my  personal  tribute  to  the  char- 
acter and  achievements  of  Dr.  Louis  Klopsch.' 

"We  are  too  near  his  memory  to  fully  appreci- 
ate his  greatness.  One  must  stand  back  from  the 
mountain  in  order  to  behold  its  magnitude.  We 
shall  not  forget  him.  There  are  moments  when  he 


392  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

seems  far  removed  from  us.     But  I  think  he  has 
only  stepped  around  the  corner." 

Judge  Arthur  S.  Tompkins,  of  Nyack,  N.  Y., 
made  a  speech  that  deeply  impressed  the  meeting. 
He  said  in  part: 

Coming  from  the  summer  home  of  Dr.  Klopsch,  and  the  scene 
of  his  splendid  work  for  the  children  whom  he  loved  and  served, 
I  count  it  a  very  great  privilege  to  have  a  little  part  in  this 
appropriate  memorial  service.  In  his  death,  countless  thousands 
into  whose  lives  he  brought  sunshine  and  cheer  and  hope,  have 
lost  a  loving  and  generous  friend,  and  the  world  has  lost  one 
of  its  big  men,  and  one  of  its  great  benefactors.  Few  men  have 
touched  so  many  hearts  and  influenced  so  many  lives  for  good. 
His  was  a  world-wide  love,  as  broad  as  the  continent  and  as 
deep  and  intense  as  the  needs  of  his  fellow  men.  His  genius 
and  capacity  for  great  enterprises,  his  business  acumen,  his 
fertility  of  resources,  his  energy  and  courage  and  enthusiasm 
enabled  him  to  overcome  every  obstacle,  and  surmount  every 
difficulty,  and  solve  every  problem,  and  achieve  singular  success 
in  every  undertaking,  and  enabled  him  to  do  works  of  charity 
and  benevolence  and  philanthropy  that  have  startled  and 
amazed  the  world.  And  tonight  the  world  is  better  and  sweeter 
and  purer,  and  heaven  is  richer  because  he  lived  and  loved  and 
wrought.  The  Christlike  spirit  that  has  made  this  the  very 
golden  age  of  philanthropy  and  benevolence  was  exemplified 
in  the  life  of  our  friend.  What  must  be  his  reward  for  all  the 
activities  of  mind  and  heart  and  means;  for  the  spiritual  and 
moral  and  physical  well-being  of  men  and  women  all  the  world 
over?  There  is  no  arithmetic  by  which  his  benefactions  can 
be  counted.  The  sum  total  of  his  kindly  deeds  and  his  chari- 
table acts  will  never  be  known  this  side  eternity.  But  we  rejoice 
that  the  great  works  that  he  inaugurated  are  to  continue. 
Truly,  his  labors,  his  works  do  follow  him.  He  sowed  harvests 
that  coming  generations  will  reap.  He  started  some  streams 
of  work  and  influence  that  will  flow  on  saad  on  forever. 


THE  VOICE  THAT  YET  SPEAKS  393 

The  Bowery  Mission  Choir  then  sang  "It  Is  Well 
With  My  Soul,"  the  audience  singing  the  chorus. 

Rev.  Ferdinand  C.  Iglehart  was  the  last  speaker. 
He  said  Dr.  Klopsch  was  most  Christlike  in  his  love 
for  children.  At  Mont-Lawn  they  climbed  upon 
him,  put  their  arms  about  his  neck,  and  kissed  him, 
and  he  was  happy,  and  young;  and  they  were  happy 
because  he  was  with  them.  The  speaker  happened 
to  be  in  Washington  just  a  few  days  after  the  death 
of  Dr.  Klopsch.  "President  Taft  asked  me  about 
the  institutions  which  had  been  founded,  and  I  told 
him  that  his  family  and  those  he  had  gathered  about 
him  in  his  institutions  promised  to  continue  the  beau- 
tiful work  he  had  done.  The  great  ones  of  the  earth 
knew  and  honored  him;  the  men  in  the  'bread 
line'  worshiped  him;  the  children  loved  him.  'Bury 
me  in  Sleepy  Hollow,'  he  said  when  he  lay  dying,  'so 
that  I  can  look  out  upon  Mont-Lawn.'  It  was  the 
apple  of  his  eye,  and  on  fair  days  the  children  can 
look  out  upon  Sleepy  Hollow  and  see  the  grave  of 
their  benefactor.  And  so  long  as  there  shall  ring  the 
merry  laugh  of  childhood;  so  long  as  there  shall  be 
the  appreciation  of  the  true,  the  beautiful,  the  good, 
the  heroic  in  human  conduct,  so  long  will  this  man 
live  in  the  hearts  and  interests  of  our  countrymen." 

After  the  singing  of  the  Doxology,  Chairman 
Moody  asked  the  Rev.  Stephen  Merritt  to  pro- 
nounce the  benediction. 

Commenting  on  the  memorial  meeting,  The  Chris- 
tian Herald  said: 

"It  was  a  graceful  and  spontaneous  tribute  that 
was  paid  to  the  memory  of  Dr.  Klopsch  by  the 


394  LIFE-WORK  OF  LOUIS  KLOPSCH 

gathering  of  professional  and  business  men  and 
women  in  New  York  on  April  14.  Through  all  the 
addresses  there  ran  a  note  of  deep  and  sincere  admi- 
ration for  the  character  and  work  of  the  man,  who 
through  his  far-reaching  benevolences,  and  aided  by 
a  great  army  of  godly  people,  had  been  the  means 
of  doing  so  much  good  to  others.  Men  of  every 
denomination  and  every  station  in  life,  from  Presi- 
dent down  to  the  humblest  citizen,  had  been  im- 
pressed with  the  value  of  that  work  to  humanity, 
and  by  speech  or  message  they  freely  expressed 
their  views  on  the  subject.  Over  all  else  in  the 
universal  estimation  was  Dr.  Klopsch's  love  for  the 
children,  and  the  majority  of  the  speakers  showed 
this  by  their  eloquent  appreciation  of  the  orphanage 
work,  and  of  the  helpful  and  benevolent  influence 
of  the  Children's  Home  at  Mont-Lawn,  which  Dr. 
Klopsch  founded,  and  where  forty  thousand  little 
children  of  the  poor  have  been  summer  guests  in  the 
last  fifteen  years.  Over  the  gates  of  Mont-Lawn  he 
inscribed  the  words  of  Froebel  —  *  I  love  God  and 
Little  Children*  —  and  this  furnished  the  real  key- 
note of  his  life-work,  although  it  had  many  other 
ramifications.  This  latest  public  expression  of  ap- 
proval must  be  exceedingly  grateful  to  all  those  who 
have  cooperated  with  him  in  his  various  charities." 
Tributes  continued  to  be  paid  to  the  good  works 
of  Dr.  Klopsch  by  the  press,  the  pulpit,  and  by  the 
great  multitude  of  those  who  had  been  the  bene- 
ficiaries of  his  philanthropy,  and  of  those  who  had 
by  their  contributions  made  it  possible.  From  far- 
off  lands,  weeks  and  months  after  the  last  tributes 


THE  VOICE  THAT  YET  SPEAKS  395 

had  been  paid  here,  came  messages  of  condolence 
and  of  loving  appreciation.  Missionaries  and  natives 
were  represented  in  these  tokens  of  respect  and  sym- 
pathy; thousands  of  orphans,  whom  he  had  been 
the  means  of  supporting  and  training,  were  repre- 
sented too.  And  still  later,  the  Gospel  workers  in 
the  world's  remotest  parts  —  in  Tibet,  in  the  South 
Pacific  Archipelago,  in  Labrador  and  the  frozen 
Arctic  —  sent  letters  that  glowed  with  love  and  ad- 
miration for  their  friend,  and  expressed  sincerest 
sorrow  for  the  loss  they  had  sustained  in  his  depar- 
ture. All  recognized  the  characteristics  which  made 
him  a  world  almoner,  a  man  with  the  most  intense 
sympathy  for  his  fellow  man.  Impulsive  and  enthu- 
siastic, he  was  a  true  knight  of  charity,  for  whom  the 
world  was  a  field  for  the  practical  exercise  of  sym- 
pathy and  kindness,  and  to  whom  all  men,  whatever 
their  color,  race,  or  religion,  were  his  brothers,  and 
none  so  poor,  so  low,  or  so  fallen  as  to  be  unworthy 
of  kindness  or  incapable  of  gratitude.  A  twentieth 
century  captain  of  philanthropy,  his  good  deeds 
did  not  end  with  his  life.  From  the  secluded  grave 
on  the  banks  of  the  Hudson,  the  voice  of  him  who 
in  his  lifetime  did  so  much  to  uplift  and  encourage 
humanity  yet  speaks. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  AT  LOS  ANGELES 

'  THE  UNIVERSITY  LIBRARY 
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